People & Places

How the West experienced the solar eclipse

HCN readers watched from all over the country. Find out where.

Paige Blankenbuehler News Aug. 21, 2017
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At 9:06 a.m. Pacific time, the sky over Madras, Oregon, began to darken. In a little more than an hour — at 10:15 local time — the period of solar eclipse totality will begin. The moon will past between the sun and the Earth in perfect alignment to cast a shadow. For the estimated one million visitors traveling to Oregon alone, the period of totality will last just less than two minutes. States, public lands agencies and millions of travelers across the country began preparing far in advance of the brief moment of wonder.

But many will be watching from home, too. Outside of the path, they’ll glimpse an incomplete eclipse or watch the complete one on their screens. If you’re one of them, we’ve put together two maps for you to track what’s happening, from the timing of the eclipse to traffic jams and the best pictures of the darkening. We’ll also be collecting the very best reader Tweets and photos to share, so you don’t miss out. Experience the eclipse, High Country News-style:

Where readers have traveled:

In the weeks leading up to the solar eclipse, more than 260 HCN readers told us where they planned to go. Want to see eclipse watchers near you? Hover over points and click to see more details about where readers are and what their plans are for eclipse-viewing. Throughout the day, we’ll be tracking reader experiences from the West’s path of totality as the eclipse passes over. Stay tuned for a compilation of the Western experience on the ground — even if you can’t be there yourself — as the latest stories, reader experiences and photos get added to our map. Want to share your experience? Email [email protected]. Have a photo? Use #HCNeclipse on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

How long the eclipse will last:

Hover over location points across the West to view the time, in Mountain Standard Time, that the eclipse will reach its peak. The duration of the eclipse depends on location and is listed in seconds.

Updates from around the West:

Thumbnail image: 12-year-old Alex Frye checks his special viewing glasses prior to viewing the partial solar eclipse from a highway overpass in Arlington, Virginia, in 2014. Courtesy of NASA.

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