Last April, I stood in a sun-warmed cow pasture 20 miles outside of Marfa, Texas, waiting for the 2024 total solar eclipse. I'd spent 6 months planning the trip, balancing 2 minutes of eclipse totality with a full weekend of off-grid stargazing in the same remote stretch of the path of totality, and by the time the moon slipped fully in front of the sun, I'd already scouted 3 separate dark sky spots, packed enough gear for 3 days of dispersed camping, and mapped exactly where the Milky Way's core would rise the second totality ended.
My 2017 eclipse trip was a disaster: I showed up to an overcrowded state park in Illinois 2 hours late, couldn't find a spot to set up my telescope, and spent the entire 2 minutes of totality squinting through a sea of people holding up phones to record the corona. This time, I skipped the fancy $500 eclipse tour packages, found a free camping spot on public grazing land with zero light pollution, and walked away with crisp photos of the eclipse's pink prominences, 12 deep-sky object shots, and zero crowds ruining my night sky. If you're planning a trip to chase the next solar eclipse (or just want to make the most of a rare eclipse trip with stargazing in remote backcountry), these no-fuss steps will save you from the overpriced, overcrowded mistakes most first-time eclipse chasers make.
Skip the City Stops: Pick the Right Segment of the Eclipse Path
The path of totality for any solar eclipse stretches thousands of miles, crossing everything from major metropolitan areas to remote, unpopulated ranchland. If you want to pair eclipse viewing with stargazing, skip the big cities along the path entirely: their light pollution will wash out the night sky, and hotel prices will triple (or quadruple) in the weeks leading up to the eclipse.
Instead, cross-reference the official eclipse path map with a dark sky finder tool like the International Dark-Sky Association's map or Light Pollution Map to find rural stretches of the path with Bortle class 2 or 3 skies (the darkest, least light-polluted categories). For 2024, I picked a 10-mile stretch of the path running through west Texas ranchland, 30 minutes outside the tiny town of Marfa, where the nearest streetlight was 12 miles away. Bonus: most of these remote stretches are on public BLM land, national forest, or open grazing land, so you can camp for free (just ask the landowner for permission if it's private ranchland, and leave no trace when you pack up).
Pro tip: Check 6-month weather forecasts for your chosen spot before you finalize plans. Eclipse paths often cross areas with unpredictable spring or fall weather, and you want to pick a spot with the lowest chance of cloud cover on eclipse day. For 2024, I avoided the northern stretch of the path through Arkansas and Missouri, which had a 70% chance of cloud cover that week, and picked the west Texas stretch with only a 10% chance of storms.
Time Your Trip to Hit Both Eclipse and Stargazing Windows
Most people only show up the day of the eclipse, but if you want great stargazing, plan to arrive 2 to 3 days early. This gives you time to scout your dark sky spots, test your gear, and let your eyes adjust to the dark before the chaos of eclipse day hits.
You'll also want to check the moon phase for your trip dates: a full or nearly full moon will wash out all but the brightest stars and deep-sky objects, so aim for a new moon or thin crescent moon around the eclipse date if you can. For the 2024 April eclipse, the moon was only 5% illuminated, so the sky was dark enough to see the Milky Way's core just 15 minutes after totality ended. If you can't avoid a full moon, plan to stargaze after moonset, which is usually 2 to 3 hours after midnight in most rural areas.
On eclipse day, don't pack up and leave right after totality ends. Stay for 30 to 60 minutes after the moon moves off the sun: the crowds will have already left, the sky will be fully dark, and you can start your stargazing session immediately without waiting for full nightfall. I spotted the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula within 20 minutes of totality ending in 2024, while the crowds an hour away in Dallas were still stuck in traffic.
Pack Gear That Works for Both Eclipse Viewing and Stargazing
You don't need fancy, eclipse-specific gear to have an amazing trip. Stick to multi-use items that work for both the eclipse and your after-dark stargazing sessions:
- ISO-certified solar viewing glasses (test them before you go by holding them up to a bright light; if you can see any light through the lenses, they're fake and will damage your eyes). Skip the cheap knockoffs sold at gas stations near the eclipse path, they're almost always uncertified.
- A red headlamp (non-negotiable for stargazing: white light ruins your night vision, and a red light lets you adjust settings, navigate your campsite, and even light-paint foregrounds for astrophotography without blinding yourself).
- Offline star chart apps (download Stellarium or Sky Safari maps for your exact camping spot before you leave, because you almost certainly won't have cell service in remote backcountry along the eclipse path).
- A lightweight tripod and intervalometer (works for both photographing the eclipse's partial phases before totality, and taking long exposures of stars and deep-sky objects after dark).
- Layers and warm socks: even if it's 80°F during the day, remote backcountry areas drop 30 to 40 degrees at night, and you'll be sitting still for hours while stargazing. I wore a puffy jacket, thermal leggings, and two pairs of socks for my 2024 trip, and I was still glad I brought a hand warmer.
- Extra camera batteries: cold night air drains batteries twice as fast as normal, and you'll be taking hundreds of photos during the eclipse and stargazing sessions. Keep spares in an inner pocket close to your body to keep them warm.
Avoid These Common (and Frustrating) Mistakes
- Don't camp directly in the center of the path of totality if you're there primarily for stargazing. The crowds and activity on eclipse day will ruin your night sky, so pick a spot 5 to 10 miles outside the center line: you'll still get 1 minute and 30 seconds of totality (only 30 seconds less than the center line) and have a completely dark, quiet sky for stargazing after.
- Don't forget to let your gear acclimate to the outdoor temperature before you start shooting. If you pull your camera or telescope out of a warm car and set it up outside immediately, condensation will form on the lenses as the cold glass hits the moist rural air, ruining your eclipse and star photos. Give all your gear 15 minutes to adjust to the temperature before you start shooting.
- Don't ignore landowner permissions. Most of the best remote stretches of the eclipse path are on private ranchland or open grazing land. If you're camping on private property, ask the landowner for permission first, and leave no trace when you pack up: pack out all trash, don't damage fences or vegetation, and don't disturb any livestock.
That night after the 2024 eclipse, I laid on a blanket in the cow pasture for 3 hours, watching Perseid meteors streak across the sky and tracking the Milky Way's core as it arced over the grazing cows. I didn't spend a dime on tour packages or fancy gear, and the trip was still the best astrophotography trip I've ever taken. The next total solar eclipse crossing the contiguous U.S. is in 2044, so if you're planning to chase it, start scouting remote backcountry spots along the path now, and you'll have a trip that's just as much about the stars as it is about the eclipse.