Clingmans Dome Solar Eclipse Event August 21 2017

Experience the Great American Total Eclipse from Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On August 21, 2017, the 67-mile wide shadow of totality will sweep across the national park's landscape and, as viewed from Clingmans Dome, will offer the unique possibility of seeing the moon's shadow moving across the landscape. For about 90 minutes the sun will become increasingly blocked by the moon leading up to "totality," lasting about 1 minute and 20 seconds, followed by the moon slowly receding. When the sun is almost entirely blocked, a different, almost eerie, twilight will descend upon the landscape, birds will start to sing, shadows will lengthen, and the temperature will drop. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is one of the highest points east of the Mississippi River, and many eclipse-viewing websites consider it one of the best places in the east from which to view this rare celestial event. Surrounded in all directions by ridge upon ridge of Southern Appalachian forests, on clear days views can expand upward of 100 miles. The National Park Service will close the Clingmans Dome area to general visitors and invites you to consider being among the approximately 1,600 guests shuttled to the site. Park naturalists are partnering with NASA, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Southwestern Community College to provide a special program of featured speakers and storytellers. While the tower itself will be reserved for live broadcasting teams, the trailhead parking area is being converted into a special event site that will include a stage, speakers, a large screen for participating in a national NASA broadcast, telescopes, educational exhibits and activities, and food and commemorative items for purchase. Participants will also be provided eclipse-viewing glasses. Participants will board buses in the morning at designated parking areas in either Gatlinburg, Tennessee or Cherokee, North Carolina, and buses will arrive at Clingmans Dome by 12:30 p.m. The stage program, with a special guest emcee, will begin at about 12:45 p.m., about 20 minutes before the partial eclipse begins, and will feature presentations until about 3:00 p.m., roughly half an hour after totality. Return buses will begin shuttling participants back to town between approximately 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Park rangers and partners will work together to provide a worthwhile experience, even if the sun is obscured by clouds. While an exceptionally rare opportunity, this experience is not for everyone. Participants will be shuttled approximately one hour or more by coach bus from Gatlinburg and Cherokee, and attendees will need to be prepared to remain on site for several hours; return shuttles will not begin until after 3:15 p.m. Young children are not recommended for this event. However, if you are patient, sociable, and flexible, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a total eclipse from the heart of America's most visited national park.