Advice for Solar Eclipse...Painted Hills?

[pdxgene]

Has anyone seen or heard what Warm Springs rules are going to be for their lands? Or even if current ones will be enforced? Like access to Olallie Butte and the lakes south of Olallie Lake in particular?
I don't want to go there. It's actually more of a potential traffic question. I already have my spot...

I drove through Warm Springs on 26 this past Saturday, pretty much all of that open desert area would be great viewing and there are hundreds of places to pull off the road. This begs the question.

Will HWY26 be miles upon miles of parked cars all along the side of the road from where the trees end to Warm Springs and then on up into Madras. Or will authorities prevent cars from parking off road along there? and on the other public highways too.

I plan to buy one of these EVVs (Eclipse Viewing Vehicle) before the big day so that I can be sure of a good spot

That'd come in handy in Downtown Portland....

[jessbee]

I shared your request for information with a few of my coworkers and a response was made, with the request it be forwarded. The piece of advice seems to fit all of your parameters: (1) you will see the eclipse in its entirety, (2) weather will not be a problem, (3) you will not have any crowds (no matter how many people read this), (4) its free, and (5) even though it was not one of your parameters, you will not have to deal with the incredibly awful traffic that will exist on the day of the eclipse.

View the eclipse on the internet from the privacy of your house.

This is a serious option which will be pursued by a number of Oregonians who are concerned that the highways will be in gridlock that day to the multitude of people traveling across the country to be a part of the twice-in-a-lifetime experience. Although you may not physically be in the path of the eclipse, someone else's camera will be. You won't burn your eyes by viewing it on the internet, and you won't be stuck in gridlock somewhere short of your intended destination either!

This is the best advice I've read! I live in Bend and I'm hunkering down the whole week off the eclipse! No way I want to be on the roads when all those people are traveling. I got stuck behind a wreck on highway 20 last weekend and they had the road closed down for 7 hours. Just one accident and all those people on the roads expected for the eclipse will shut Central Oregon down.

No thanks, I'll have my fridge stocked with food and beer, sit back and watch the circus from home.

[drm]

I don't think I would want to be driving US 26 over the Cascades around the eclipse (or I guess 97 north from Bend) but I must admit that I find it hard to believe that the roads farther east (i.e. going south from I84) will be in gridlock. Busier than usual, sure. I think that this is our new Y2K fear. I can't plan ahead because I may have a house guest at that time. But I will hope to be able to drive south on one of the roads that morning or the night before and just wing it. If it doesn't work, I think we still get 90% coverage of the sun around here if I don't make it.

[retired jerry]

I'm not sure I'll bother seeing it, but seeing it in person is totally different than watching it on a screen.

I saw the one in 1979. Drove up from Los Angeles. But, it was one of those crazy college student things that make no sense. Better than road racing or something

Junction between 97 and 197 would probably be pretty good. I'm sure that will be crowded, but maybe somewhere around there. Or that new recreation area a bit north on 197. You can walk a mile towards the Deschutes River.

[cunningkeith]

Spring Basin Wilderness seems to meet all of the OP's criteria.

I think that cloud cover will be a serious risk for those of us (like me) who are trying to find a place in the Cascades. For instance, Jeff Park was under clouds this morning at 10.

Check out the wundermap with the satellite overlay (also a great resource for monitoring smoke next month)

https://www.wunderground.com/wundermap