Solar eclipse fever is building as we get closer to the big event on April 8, 2024. The best eclipse viewing can be found in the path of totality, and hotels and rentals in this lucky swath of the country from Texas to Maine have already been snapped up by eager eclipse planners. For an even more memorable experience, consider viewing this celestial phenomenon surrounded by natural beauty. Two national parks and more than 100 state parks will be in the path of totality, offering a twofer that’s sure to be breathtaking.
Just two national parks are in the path of totality—Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas and Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. With more than 25 miles of hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, Hot Springs National Park offers plenty of opportunities to commune with nature as you witness the eclipse. Afterwards, you can reward yourself in the thermal bathhouses in downtown Hot Springs. The city itself has a variety of eclipse activities planned. In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you’ll enjoy a good four minutes of totality, best viewed at Beaver Marsh or the Oak Hill Trail.
Several state parks will be in on the totality action, with prime locations and fun activities. Niagara Falls State Park in New York will experience nearly four minutes of totality. In the days before the eclipse, NASA experts will host public events at the park. Several Texas cities are eclipse hot spots, but Garner State Park will have the views and the natural beauty. Spend the four and a half minutes of totality here on the trails or floating on the Frio River. Lake Wappapello State Park in Missouri is set to have one of the longest periods of totality, serving up plenty of waterfront views to boot.
For more information about eclipse viewing in state and national parks, check out this guide on the NPS website.