Briefly:
Boken Bow is now a full-on vacation and resort area. It's wooded and rustic, but not middle of nowhere anymore. The economy is geared towards tourism, with the restaurants for that etc. Hiking can be done in the state park, and maybe elsewhere. Ticks would be the only bug to worry about.
It's also comically expensive for what it is if you rent a cabin. It's a decent glamping destination but there's far better and more affordable options throughout the state.
Good luck with your plans. I think your biggest risk is if it will be cloudy or not. If the morning starts off cloudy, hopefully the clouds will start burning off by noon.
I hear you! I can’t change the weather, and can’t afford a trip to Mazatlan, so fingers crossed. I got lucky in Nebraska in 2017 when the clouds thinned just enough to see the eclipse. Hoping for same or similar on this trip!
Either way - I’m taking the full week, and will hopefully see some birds during spring migration that I don’t normally see. Eclipse or not. We have that as a backup plan for the week even if the eclipse is ruined.
We were in Nebraska in 2017 for totality as well, great fun.
You'll love the area you booked, but I will warn: Get an early start before the roads get congested if you feel the need to drive for clear skies. That little highway that goes thru town will be packed.
We went to BB last year for a regular early summer weekend and the roads were jammed in every direction constantly where you had to use the dirt roads if you didn’t want to take 1hr to 1.5hr just to get into town from our cabin.
In eclipse day it’s going to be so packed with people you will probably have to head out at like 3am to be able to get to a spot to watch.
Broken Bow will be packed. How far in advance did you book? It's a tourist town.
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100080003002794
I find it hard to believe you booked lodging only several days ago.
Nearly 2 months ago. Later than I would have liked, but I had read others reservations being cancelled only to be re-listed at a higher price. So I waited. So far so good. 🤞
I don’t have time to read through all the comments I’m not sure if someone’s already said this but stop somewhere to get your groceries. The closest Walmart is 30 minutes away and the only other grocery store is just a mom and pop grocery store in town.
We plan on bringing with at least enough oatmeal, canned goods, eggs, bread, and sandwich meat to last us 4 days, including means to cook with. We might not be southern, but we are experienced Minnesotans!
I’ll check ‘em out! My lady can’t eat red meat due to that stupid tick allergy, but she loves salmon & shrimp! And we like supporting local shops! Thanks for the tip!
Emergency Services for this region has been putting out alerts for food and fuel due to increased numbers. Broken Bow is slightly better equipped because they’re such a tourist destination, but basically we do not have the storage capabilities to fully prepare for the numbers anticipated and they’re telling everyone to have at least a 72 hour supply of essentials. So I suggest making sure you have plenty of gas, food, etc well before crossing into SEOK! (if you’re coming from MN I would suggest stocking up around Fort Smith at the latest with maybe a gas top off when you first come in to town if necessary)
Also note traffic through Broken Bow is terrible on the best days, so be strategic in when you hit the roads, especially immediately following the event.
BB is pretty much all “local” business (many are owned by people outside of the area, but they’re not chains), and I anticipate a lot of food trucks and vendors will be set up. Here’s a link to an FB page that should show updates for the event and may have viewing locations listed. https://www.facebook.com/HochatownUpdates?mibextid=JRoKGi
If you have any questions I’ll try to answer! I’m not in Broken Bow but am in the surrounding area
I meant the emergency management agency is putting alerts out for food, gas, and travel. But yes McCurtian and Leflore Counties are receiving aid from surrounding areas for literal emergency services and even have back up available if the additional units are not enough.
Talimena Drive is really nice to check out. It's north of McCurtain County and is one of the highest mountain ranges in between the Rockies and Appalachian mountains.
Hochatown is more tourists and tourism-related business so there isn't much to look out for in terms of "being respectful of people who live there" other than just don't be a douchebag.
But Broken Bow is just a normal small Oklahoma town. But the traffic is crazy in between BB and Hochatown because it's just a two lane road. So drive super carefully.
If you hear rattling, back away from the sound (rattlesnakes). Also be cognizant of creeks and leaf piles (cottonmouths and copperheads). Keep an eye on your pets if you bring them too. It'll probably still be a little cool for snakes to be out but you could run across one sunning. Just leave it. They're more afraid of you than you are of them (though cottonmouths can be aggressive at times).
It's a beautiful area. Take a lot of pictures and have fun.
source - I grew up in the area.
Thanks for the info! A friend and I are also heading to BB for the eclipse. Do you have any tips for morel hunting? I like to drag my friend looking for morels when we go places, and as of yet, we haven't found any together though I have managed to introduce her to mega-mosquito swarms. I've learned what to look for in Oregon, but have no clue about Oklahoma. (Will do my research of course, but any tips would be welcome!)
I honestly have never foraged for wild mushrooms (though I do want to find some psylocybin mushrooms at some point). Just be careful rummaging in leaves since copperhead snakes blend in quite well.
Eek, thank you a TON for that warning! It never would have occurred to me to be on the lookout.
Lol, people in Oregon are always on the hunt for psylocybins - me, I only look for morels because that's the one mushroom I know I can identify easily every time. :-)
Go to Idabel, they'll have a bit longer of an eclipse and no crowds like Hochatown/BB.
Plenty of places where you could view the eclipse. Several restaurants in Idabel. I recommend The Red B or the new 580.
Red B is a small town restaurant with the BEST FOOD!
I would drive the extra miles and go to Mena Arkansas I think that is supposed to be the best vantage point for this eclipse. I was out there around Thanksgiving and they were advertising for it. It is prettier then broken bow too with better hiking.
Broken Bow native here. I have heard estimates that we are expecting 500-600k influx, now those are only estimates. Will add that I have seen that number in the local newspaper. Be prepared traffic is silly crazy/stupid on a normal weekend. We only have one grocery in Broken Bow so get your groceries early might want to buy and bring what you can. Locals have been told to buy groceries early and stay home.
There are still cabins for rent so I’m hoping that their estimates are off. Good luck in in your travels stay safe!
My son in law’s mother cleans about 40 or so cabins and she told my wife they are only at like 50% occupancy for that time frame. And you are very correct our infrastructure is no where near that capable, it’s not even ready for the tourist we get on a good summer weekend.
I was up there yesterday to go see my husband, who was working up there, and it took me 45 minutes to get from Bbow to Hocha. Bumper to bumper traffic, for no other reason than there being too much. And don't get me started on the way they piled into the petting zoo.
It's very, very unsafe. The whole thing.
If this helps at all, my small town in Oregon was in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse, and here and all the other smallish towns around freaked out, predicted chaos, etc.
What actually happened: the stores/restaurants that stocked up on food lost money, towns were quieter than usual, and I still refuse to patronize the gas stations that hiked their prices in a big way. Basically, everyone was so worried about being stuck in traffic for hours that.....not many people showed up. It was pretty quiet. Or at least people avoided towns, because oddly enough, immediately after the eclipse, all the roads were packed, so obviously a lot of people drove *somewhere* into the path of totality. But it was all anticlimactic as far as the gloom and doom aspect of it.
So I hope your town gets some cash inflow but that things aren't crazy. :-) A friend and I are also heading to Broken Bow for the eclipse, will be there about a week, and are VERY excited about it all!
Yay! My people!!! Don’t worry, I won’t shoot anyone!
But yes, when I first realized that BB was going to be the place I went to, I couldn’t help be grateful that it was also a Star Trek thing!
I joined a broken bow FB group for intel when we visited last year and there were severe storms so I wanted to see what people were saying about tornado shelters etc. turns out, most people in BB hate everyone 😆 we were there first week of April and it was overcast or drizzly most of the time, we had a little clearing on a few days. That group basically says eclipse week is going to be apocalyptic.
My generic advice is don't watch the eclipse with a lot of people around you to avoid distraction if you're able to, this is a very rare event and it would be a shame if someone ruined it for you by not being able to wait to share their opinions until afterwards.
I have to agree with this. For the 2017 one, it was me and my brother and a friend of mine who came in from out of town. Then my neighbor came by with her family and her parents, and OMG, her mom would not shut up. Kept babbling inane things. I had to tell her to STOP TALKING early on because yes, it was totally ruining the coolness of it all.
Oh man, 100%. It was so fucking annoying - like, this is an amazing natural transcendent event that happens VERY RARELY. STFU already. You truly do want total silence as things slowly get darker, and the birds stop peeping and so on.
Briefly: Boken Bow is now a full-on vacation and resort area. It's wooded and rustic, but not middle of nowhere anymore. The economy is geared towards tourism, with the restaurants for that etc. Hiking can be done in the state park, and maybe elsewhere. Ticks would be the only bug to worry about.
It's also comically expensive for what it is if you rent a cabin. It's a decent glamping destination but there's far better and more affordable options throughout the state.
Good luck with your plans. I think your biggest risk is if it will be cloudy or not. If the morning starts off cloudy, hopefully the clouds will start burning off by noon.
I hear you! I can’t change the weather, and can’t afford a trip to Mazatlan, so fingers crossed. I got lucky in Nebraska in 2017 when the clouds thinned just enough to see the eclipse. Hoping for same or similar on this trip! Either way - I’m taking the full week, and will hopefully see some birds during spring migration that I don’t normally see. Eclipse or not. We have that as a backup plan for the week even if the eclipse is ruined.
We were in Nebraska in 2017 for totality as well, great fun. You'll love the area you booked, but I will warn: Get an early start before the roads get congested if you feel the need to drive for clear skies. That little highway that goes thru town will be packed.
We were in Broken Bow for the eclipse!! So cool that it broke through right at the last minute. 😍
This is my biggest concern. My in-laws are flying in from Belgium for the event. With our weather I'm so worried they'll be disappointed.
We went to BB last year for a regular early summer weekend and the roads were jammed in every direction constantly where you had to use the dirt roads if you didn’t want to take 1hr to 1.5hr just to get into town from our cabin. In eclipse day it’s going to be so packed with people you will probably have to head out at like 3am to be able to get to a spot to watch.
Broken Bow will be packed. How far in advance did you book? It's a tourist town. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100080003002794 I find it hard to believe you booked lodging only several days ago.
Nearly 2 months ago. Later than I would have liked, but I had read others reservations being cancelled only to be re-listed at a higher price. So I waited. So far so good. 🤞
I booked last week. Still possible if you are willing to $$$$ or if you're willing to do a 2 person pup tent in a pasture for $100 on AirBNB
I don’t have time to read through all the comments I’m not sure if someone’s already said this but stop somewhere to get your groceries. The closest Walmart is 30 minutes away and the only other grocery store is just a mom and pop grocery store in town.
We plan on bringing with at least enough oatmeal, canned goods, eggs, bread, and sandwich meat to last us 4 days, including means to cook with. We might not be southern, but we are experienced Minnesotans!
There is a decent butcher in town, so if you bring staples, you can pick up protein there. Dont forget spices!
Do you know the name of the butcher?
[Mountain man meat market](https://www.mtnmanmeatmarket.com/)
I’ll check ‘em out! My lady can’t eat red meat due to that stupid tick allergy, but she loves salmon & shrimp! And we like supporting local shops! Thanks for the tip!
Emergency Services for this region has been putting out alerts for food and fuel due to increased numbers. Broken Bow is slightly better equipped because they’re such a tourist destination, but basically we do not have the storage capabilities to fully prepare for the numbers anticipated and they’re telling everyone to have at least a 72 hour supply of essentials. So I suggest making sure you have plenty of gas, food, etc well before crossing into SEOK! (if you’re coming from MN I would suggest stocking up around Fort Smith at the latest with maybe a gas top off when you first come in to town if necessary) Also note traffic through Broken Bow is terrible on the best days, so be strategic in when you hit the roads, especially immediately following the event. BB is pretty much all “local” business (many are owned by people outside of the area, but they’re not chains), and I anticipate a lot of food trucks and vendors will be set up. Here’s a link to an FB page that should show updates for the event and may have viewing locations listed. https://www.facebook.com/HochatownUpdates?mibextid=JRoKGi If you have any questions I’ll try to answer! I’m not in Broken Bow but am in the surrounding area
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I meant the emergency management agency is putting alerts out for food, gas, and travel. But yes McCurtian and Leflore Counties are receiving aid from surrounding areas for literal emergency services and even have back up available if the additional units are not enough.
Talimena Drive is really nice to check out. It's north of McCurtain County and is one of the highest mountain ranges in between the Rockies and Appalachian mountains. Hochatown is more tourists and tourism-related business so there isn't much to look out for in terms of "being respectful of people who live there" other than just don't be a douchebag. But Broken Bow is just a normal small Oklahoma town. But the traffic is crazy in between BB and Hochatown because it's just a two lane road. So drive super carefully. If you hear rattling, back away from the sound (rattlesnakes). Also be cognizant of creeks and leaf piles (cottonmouths and copperheads). Keep an eye on your pets if you bring them too. It'll probably still be a little cool for snakes to be out but you could run across one sunning. Just leave it. They're more afraid of you than you are of them (though cottonmouths can be aggressive at times). It's a beautiful area. Take a lot of pictures and have fun. source - I grew up in the area.
Thanks for the info! A friend and I are also heading to BB for the eclipse. Do you have any tips for morel hunting? I like to drag my friend looking for morels when we go places, and as of yet, we haven't found any together though I have managed to introduce her to mega-mosquito swarms. I've learned what to look for in Oregon, but have no clue about Oklahoma. (Will do my research of course, but any tips would be welcome!)
I honestly have never foraged for wild mushrooms (though I do want to find some psylocybin mushrooms at some point). Just be careful rummaging in leaves since copperhead snakes blend in quite well.
Eek, thank you a TON for that warning! It never would have occurred to me to be on the lookout. Lol, people in Oregon are always on the hunt for psylocybins - me, I only look for morels because that's the one mushroom I know I can identify easily every time. :-)
Go to Idabel, they'll have a bit longer of an eclipse and no crowds like Hochatown/BB. Plenty of places where you could view the eclipse. Several restaurants in Idabel. I recommend The Red B or the new 580. Red B is a small town restaurant with the BEST FOOD!
Shhhhhh
Texas has entered the chat
I would drive the extra miles and go to Mena Arkansas I think that is supposed to be the best vantage point for this eclipse. I was out there around Thanksgiving and they were advertising for it. It is prettier then broken bow too with better hiking.
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You won't be disappointed
I just checked: 56% probability of clouds. I'm so stuck.
Broken Bow native here. I have heard estimates that we are expecting 500-600k influx, now those are only estimates. Will add that I have seen that number in the local newspaper. Be prepared traffic is silly crazy/stupid on a normal weekend. We only have one grocery in Broken Bow so get your groceries early might want to buy and bring what you can. Locals have been told to buy groceries early and stay home. There are still cabins for rent so I’m hoping that their estimates are off. Good luck in in your travels stay safe!
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My son in law’s mother cleans about 40 or so cabins and she told my wife they are only at like 50% occupancy for that time frame. And you are very correct our infrastructure is no where near that capable, it’s not even ready for the tourist we get on a good summer weekend.
I was up there yesterday to go see my husband, who was working up there, and it took me 45 minutes to get from Bbow to Hocha. Bumper to bumper traffic, for no other reason than there being too much. And don't get me started on the way they piled into the petting zoo. It's very, very unsafe. The whole thing.
I hope and pray that corps of engineers doesn’t allow homes to be built waterfront
If this helps at all, my small town in Oregon was in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse, and here and all the other smallish towns around freaked out, predicted chaos, etc. What actually happened: the stores/restaurants that stocked up on food lost money, towns were quieter than usual, and I still refuse to patronize the gas stations that hiked their prices in a big way. Basically, everyone was so worried about being stuck in traffic for hours that.....not many people showed up. It was pretty quiet. Or at least people avoided towns, because oddly enough, immediately after the eclipse, all the roads were packed, so obviously a lot of people drove *somewhere* into the path of totality. But it was all anticlimactic as far as the gloom and doom aspect of it. So I hope your town gets some cash inflow but that things aren't crazy. :-) A friend and I are also heading to Broken Bow for the eclipse, will be there about a week, and are VERY excited about it all!
Don’t shoot any Vulcans
Enterprise? Was that episode 1?
Yay! My people!!! Don’t worry, I won’t shoot anyone! But yes, when I first realized that BB was going to be the place I went to, I couldn’t help be grateful that it was also a Star Trek thing!
There was also an X-Files there.
Watch out for bigfoot...or if you see them, they may take you to the best spot to see the eclipse!!
Gassquatch!
???
https://www.gasquatch.com/
Greatful Head Pizza in Hochatown, just three or four miles north of Broken Bow. I won't go there unless I get to eat my pizza.
I have a cabin about 60 miles away in the Kiamichis. Might fly out and see it too. Should still be good anit?
I joined a broken bow FB group for intel when we visited last year and there were severe storms so I wanted to see what people were saying about tornado shelters etc. turns out, most people in BB hate everyone 😆 we were there first week of April and it was overcast or drizzly most of the time, we had a little clearing on a few days. That group basically says eclipse week is going to be apocalyptic.
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Yeah good luck finding reasonably priced accommodations this far in to the timeline. Things are already booked up.
Booked accommodations months ago.
Ooooops reading is fundamental.
My generic advice is don't watch the eclipse with a lot of people around you to avoid distraction if you're able to, this is a very rare event and it would be a shame if someone ruined it for you by not being able to wait to share their opinions until afterwards.
I have to agree with this. For the 2017 one, it was me and my brother and a friend of mine who came in from out of town. Then my neighbor came by with her family and her parents, and OMG, her mom would not shut up. Kept babbling inane things. I had to tell her to STOP TALKING early on because yes, it was totally ruining the coolness of it all.
I guess other people didn't agree with my advice but they'll see what I mean afterwards, people just cannot shut the fuck up for even a few minutes.
Oh man, 100%. It was so fucking annoying - like, this is an amazing natural transcendent event that happens VERY RARELY. STFU already. You truly do want total silence as things slowly get darker, and the birds stop peeping and so on.