State parks around Ohio are planning for a surge of visitors who want to catch a glimpse of the biggest solar event in the past two centuries.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has ordered 100,000 pairs of special protective glasses needed to view the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.

The glasses will be given away free at state parks to people within a 124-mile-wide band in the state. However, Linda Deering of the ODNR suggests that people buy their own in case the supply of free glasses runs out.

Deering says there will be special eclipse programming at Pymatuning and Mosquito Lake state parks. No events are scheduled at Lake Milton.

Events at Mosquito Lake in Trumbull County are still being organized.

Monday, April 8, 2024

Pymatuning Nature Center - 6100 Pymatuning Lake Rd, Andover, OH

PARTIAL ECLIPSE BEGINS

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Join the Naturalist outside of the Nature Center as we look at shadows and see the effects of the partial eclipse before totality.

ECLIPSE TOTALITY

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Join the Naturalist as the animal sounds during the totality of the Eclipse are recorded.

Past studies and observations have found that wildlife changes their behavior during eclipses.

As the moon blocks the sun, nighttime animals may start to stir and daytime animals quiet down or retreat. Some animals begin to sing their dawn or dusk choruses.

PARTIAL ECLIPSE ENDING

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

ODNR anticipates that the parks will be very crowded, and traffic in and out of the parks will be heavy.

Limited electric and non-electric campsites are still available in some state parks within the totality zone.

Visit the Ohio State Parks Reservation System to find your perfect site. No arrivals or departures will be allowed on April 8, 2024. You must arrive on April 7 or sooner.

Below is a map of all the ODNR properties that would be good for viewing the total eclipse and will also provide programming for the event.

 

 

You can also check an online calendar of events for eclipse event listings:

 Areas in Ohio that are outside the path of totality will experience a partial eclipse. A total solar eclipse is a rare and spectacular event. On average, one happens somewhere on the Earth only once every 1.5 years. Only 21 total solar eclipses have crossed the lower 48 states in the entire existence of the United States.

The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will be in the year 2099.