The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse skirts the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, leaving only Erie as a great place to experience totality. But a low chance of clear skies in early April means seeing the eclipse in Erie is more like an excuse for a weekend getaway than a hope of seeing the celestial event.
Historically, Pennsylvania has a high chance of clouds in early April. Daytime highs reach the lower 50s, and overnight lows dip into the upper 30s.
There are a handful of travel destinations in the eclipse path, but Erie has the longest duration of totality and the most things to do during the weekend. Erie International Airport has direct connections to southern destinations, and Amtrak has a station with connections between Chicago and New York City.
Table of Contents
- What is the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse?
- How to Safely View a Total Solar Eclipse
- How to Choose a Viewing Location
- Essential Eclipse Articles
- Map of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
- Best Place to See the Eclipse in Pennsylvania
- Alternate Places to See the Eclipse in Pennsylvania
- How to Get to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Pennsylvania
- Things to Pack for Eclipse Day
What is the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse?
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow on the Earth. As the Earth, Moon, and Sun continue to move, the shadow sweeps across the Earth – called the Path of Totality.
Anyone in the Path of Totality experiences the eerie wonderment of Totality. Totality is the longest on the centerline of the eclipse. And for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, it’s the longest in southwest Texas.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is on Monday, April 8. The partial eclipse will last from 2:02 until 4:31 p.m. (EDT). Totality will start between 3:16 and 3:19 p.m. (EDT), lasting up to 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
How to Safely View a Total Solar Eclipse
The only time it’s safe to look at the Sun during a total solar eclipse is during Totality, when the Moon completely blocks the sunlight. But it’s critical to wear solar eclipse glasses or use solar filters while looking at the partial eclipse before and after Totality. These specially designed glasses and filters comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, allowing only 0.0032% of light to pass through.
During the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, the American Astronomical Society found that Amazon was flooded with counterfeit solar eclipse glasses claiming to be compliant. The AAS compiled a list of verified suppliers of safe and compliant solar eclipse glasses to combat the dangerously fake glasses.
All my recommendations for solar eclipse glasses, solar binoculars, and solar telescopes below are made by suppliers verified by the American Astronomical Society.
Here are a few options for certified solar eclipse glasses:
- American Paper Optics Eclipser HD Glasses are stylish and sturdy for long uses.
- Rainbow Symphony offers a variety of options like Solar Eclipse Glasses, Wrap-Around Goggles, and Clip-On Solar Eclipse Glasses.
- You can buy cardboard framed glasses from American Paper Optics or Rainbow Symphony in a pinch.
Read More: Solar Eclipse Glasses, Binoculars, and Camera Filters for Safely Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse
How to Choose a Viewing Location
Photographers, scientists, and avid eclipse chasers will flock to southwest Texas to see the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. That’s because they are looking for the slightest chance of clouds, the longest duration of totality, and the easiest travel logistics. Their sole purpose for traveling is to view the eclipse. But they will see nothing if it’s cloudy on Eclipse Day.
That’s why I think you should use the eclipse as an excuse to travel and not just travel for the eclipse.
Instead of choosing a place based on the best eclipse conditions, choose an exciting travel destination that gives you something to do over the preceding weekend.
Here’s what I recommend you consider when choosing a viewing location:
- Travel destination. Does the place you want to visit have things to do, like local shopping, outdoor recreation, and great places to eat? If the destination has a tourism office, you’ll likely find things to do.
- Historical cloudiness and weather. AccuWeather says places in southwest Texas have the slightest chance of clouds in early April. The further north along the Path of Totality, the greater the chance of clouds. Places northeast of Illinois have the highest chance of clouds.
- Duration of Totality. The duration is longest along the Centerline in Texas. However, it’s only a minute shorter – and almost 3.5 minutes long – along the Centerline in Maine.
- Travel logistics. Fortunately, it’s remarkably easy to travel to almost any place in the Path of Totality.
Read More: How to Plan a Trip to See the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Essential Eclipse Articles
Browse these essential eclipse articles to learn more about planning a trip to see the eclipse, solar eclipse glasses and other things to pack, and how to find lodging for the eclipse.
Map of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
How to use this map | Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the (very faint) star at the end of the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Best Place to See the Eclipse in Pennsylvania
Note About Eclipse Times
Times and durations can vary widely. For precise times while choosing a viewing location, use Xavier Jubier’s Interactive Map. On Eclipse Day, use the Solar Eclipse Timer app for precise times based on your location.
This list is in order by Start of Totality.
Erie, PA
Partial Eclipse: 2:02 to 4:30 p.m. (EDT)
Start of Totality: 3:16:24 p.m. (EDT)
Duration of Totality: 3 minutes 40 seconds
A little more than 100 miles north of Pittsburgh, Erie is a great place to travel for the eclipse in Pennsylvania. Chances are low to see the eclipse, but you’ll have plenty to do with a weekend getaway to the lake town. Learn about “experiencing the ultimate sunblock” at Erie’s Total Solar Eclipse page.
Alternate Places to See the Eclipse in Pennsylvania
Here are other travel destinations in the Path of Totality to consider during the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.
Note About Eclipse Times
Times and durations can vary widely. For precise times while choosing a viewing location, use Xavier Jubier’s Interactive Map. On Eclipse Day, use the Solar Eclipse Timer app for precise times based on your location.
This list is in order by Start of Totality.
How to Get to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Pennsylvania
Do you prefer traveling by plane, train, or automobile? However you like to travel, there are many great options for getting to your destination for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.
Traveling with Amtrak
Traveling by train certainly has some advantages. You won’t have to deal with congested traffic on the highways or find parking at the viewing location. You’ll have to wade through the least number of fellow travelers at the stations. And you can enjoy the gorgeous scenery in Viewliner cars.
However, traveling by train does come with a few disadvantages. Amtrak has a notorious reputation for delayed trains – do not plan to travel by train on Monday. There are also far fewer trains scheduled than any other transportation, which means fewer seats. And the cost of traveling by Amtrak is frequently higher than flying or driving.
The 1,300-mile Lake Shore Limited route connects Chicago to New York City and Boston. The only station along the route in Pennsylvania is in Erie.
Read More: How to Plan a Trip to See the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Traveling into Airports
Flying is a great way to travel for the eclipse because you bypass the congested highways and don’t have to deal with finding parking. It’s a better option than the train because flights are more flexible to sudden increases in air travelers.
International airports are typically larger than domestic airports because they must have customs and border control facilities for passengers flying between countries. These airports offer the most amenities, carriers, and flights.
Erie International Airport is a small airport with few direct connections and flights, but it’s still a way to fly into the Path of Totality in Pennsylvania.
Traveling by Car
It’s easy to drive to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse with dozens of interstate highways crisscrossing the Path of Totality. Interstates 10, 40, 70, 80, and 90 cross the nation through the eclipse path, connecting almost every state with viewing destinations.
But since most people traveling for the eclipse will travel by car, it will become increasingly difficult the closer the Eclipse Day. Friday evening and Saturday morning are the best times to drive to your destination before the eclipse, and Tuesday is the best day to drive out.
On Eclipse Day, plan for the driving time to be 2-3 times longer than a typical day. If you plan to spend the night before somewhere outside the Path of Totality, be ready to leave early to account for heavy traffic congestion. You can avoid much of the congestion after the eclipse if you wait about 2-3 hours before leaving your viewing location.
Things to Pack for Eclipse Day
Neatly folding your clothes into packing cubes and grabbing your travel tech bag is a good start to packing for any trip. But packing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse isn’t like packing for a typical weekend getaway. It’s more like going to an outdoor concert that requires safety equipment.
Here are my suggestions for essential safety gear, chairs, power banks, outdoor games, and apps for seeing a total solar eclipse.
There are only 3 essential things to pack for a solar eclipse:
- ISO 12312-2 certified solar eclipse glasses. American Paper Optics Eclipser HD Glasses are stylish and sturdy for long uses. Rainbow Symphony offers a variety of options like Solar Eclipse Glasses, Wrap-Around Goggles, and Clip-On Solar Eclipse Glasses. You can buy cardboard framed glasses from American Paper Optics or Rainbow Symphony in a pinch.
- The Solar Eclipse Timer. The Solar Eclipse Timer app for iOS and Android provides audible notifications and countdowns to the key moments of the total solar eclipse.
- A comfortable chair. The Coleman Portable Camping Chair is the standard go-to for collapsible quad chairs, and the Coleman Big-N-Tall Quad Chair is slightly bigger and offers a higher seating capacity. The Helinox Chair Zero remarkably weighs just 8 pounds but supports 265 pounds. The Snow Peak Low Beach Chair folds into a storage bag and features a durable canvas material.
A quasi-essential thing to pack is a good power bank to keep your smartphone charged throughout the day. Some of these power banks have enough capacity to keep multiple devices charged:
- The Anker PowerCore III is a versatile power bank for Apple and Android phones. What I love most about this power bank is the wireless 10W Qi charger – simply set a compatible phone on top of the power bank, and it’s charging. There is no need to carry a charging cable. But the power bank also has an 18W USB-C and 15W USB-A port for additional charging options.
- The Anker Magnetic Battery only works with Apple MagSafe iPhones, but Wired
- wrote an article about adapting MagSafe products for Android phones. This power bank features a wireless MagSafe charger with an integrated stand – perfect for setting the phone upright to see the timer on Eclipse Day.
- The Anker Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank is perfect for charging multiple devices on Eclipse Day. The hefty power bank features two 100W USB-C ports and a 65W USB-A port with a max 200W simultaneous charging capacity.
After packing the essentials for comfort, safety, and power, how about packing a few extra things for entertainment? Take one of these outdoor games for hours of fun while watching the partial eclipse slowly inch across the sky:
- This GoSports Cornhole Set features a solid wood design and includes a hefty carrying case for easy travel.
- The GoSports Left Center Right Giant Dice Game is a recreation of my favorite travel game. This set includes 3.5” wooden dice, giant tokens, and a carrying bag.
- If you’ve played Yahtzee, you’ll understand how Farkle works. The GoSports Giant Wooden Playing Dice Set has 3.5” wooden dice and a dry-erase board for keeping score.
- If you can find a solid playing surface like a picnic table or concrete pad, then you’ll love having the GoSports Giant Wooden Tower Game. It’s an outdoor-sized version of Jenga! The set includes a dry-erase scoreboard and a carrying case.
- The GoSports Regulation Bocce Set is a great game that requires little effort. The set comes with a premium carry case.
Finally, consider downloading some or all these apps that will be extremely useful during Eclipse Day:
- AccuWeather is my favorite app for tracking weather. The app is typically accurate and easy to use and has some great features you might find useful. Download on iOS or Android.
- If you insist on capturing eclipse photos with your smartphone, get the Camera+ 2 app. It’s one of the best camera apps, with many features and settings for getting the most out of your smartphone camera. Download on iOS or Android.
- Google Maps will be invaluable for spotting congested highways and finding alternate routes after watching the eclipse. It’s also a great tool to help you find public transportation to and from your viewing location. Download on iOS or Android.
