2024’s Total Solar Eclipse
April 14, 2024 | By Waterbury Roundabout contributorsPerfect view with a crowd atop a hill at the Waterbury Reservoir at Waterbury Center State Park. Photo by Cheryl Casey
We asked, readers answered, and we share an impressive collection of photos from Monday’s total solar eclipse. The day was unlike any other in many ways – more like a weekend with school students home, many Vermonters off or working from home.
And so many visitors.
Totality during the solar eclipse. Photo by Jo Wood
Waterbury certainly had its share of what state officials this week estimated to be 160,000 people who came to Vermont to experience the rare celestial event. The wide swath of the path of totality made Vermont a popular spot for thousands from around the northeast and many from well beyond.
At a press conference on Wednesday, state Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said preliminary data showed some 60,000 additional cars on the state’s highways. Even private plane landings were noteworthy – on Monday alone state airports logged 248 landings. More than half of those aircraft landed at the two northernmost state-owned airports, Northeast Kingdom International Airport in Coventry and Franklin County State Airport in Highgate, Flynn said. A typical week at Patrick Leahy International Airport in South Burlington, for example, sees about 200 landings, Flynn noted.
Three-year-old Thea may remember the eclipse for a long time. Photo by Ally Shea
Roadside welcome centers were busier than ever, according to Vermont Emergency Management Director Eric Forand. An estimated 35,000 visitors stopped at the centers, about three times the traffic that they saw last fall on Indigenous People’s Day, typically the busiest travel day during foliage season.
Waterbury saw its share of the eclipse-seekers who fanned out across the downtown parks and the state parks. Local restaurants were busy serving breakfasts and lunches in-house with many to-go orders as the weather make it a perfect day for a picnic.
And while local officials were prepared for large crowds, no one spot was filled to capacity. The scene at Rusty Parker Park, for example was similar to a summer concert in the park gathering. Dac Rowe just seemed to be missing a youth soccer match.
A world map outside the Waterbury municipal offices offered pins for visitors to mark the spots where they traveled from. By Monday afternoon, Recreation Director Katarina Lisaius said more than 200 pins were in place – a majority marking spots in the U.S., especially the Northeast but others scattered around the country and marking locations in other countries including Mexico, Peru, Iceland, South Africa, Madagascar and Estonia.
The offices and library were hopping with activity and the restrooms inside the building were popular. Portable toilets were added to downtown parks but not at Dac Rowe or the municipal complex. Looking out at the line waiting to use the facilities just inside the building entry on Monday as the eclipse began, Municipal Manager Tom Leitz nodded, “Lessons learned,” he said. “We’ll make a note for the next eclipse.”
First responders were prepared for increased activity but had a relatively quiet day. State officials said traffic accidents were just a fraction of what took place during the snowstorm just a few days before preceding the eclipse.
“Everyone behaved tremendously on the highways, waterways, in the sky,” Flynn said at this week’s press conference. “The sheer volume of visitors, traffic, aircraft and congestion — all with such low incidents … was nothing short of remarkable.”
Main Street bustles with activity before the eclipse begins. Photo by Gordon Miller
In Waterbury, responders headed out for a call on Interstate 89 a few minutes after 3 p.m. during the eclipse. It involved a single motorcycle crash and both its driver and juvenile passenger from Connecticut were transported to UVM Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a state police press release afterward.
After issuing cautionary messages to the public to steer clear of backcountry and high-elevation trails, state officials said backcountry rescue teams were not needed on Monday. (Our photo collection demonstrates Camel’s Hump, for example as a popular backdrop for eclipse-watching rather than a destination.)
Front row seat on Blush Hill. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
When it was over, the surge of traffic exiting Vermont through Waterbury lasted into the night. All routes south and eastbound were filled including Interstate 89, U.S. Route 2 and Vermont Route 100. Photographer Gordon Miller captured scenes along Perry Hill and Guptil Roads. Even River Road in Bolton and Duxbury saw high volumes of traffic.
8:10 p.m. drone shot by Gordon Miller shows (left to right) River Road, Main Street, I-89 southbound alight with southbound traffic.
More information will be available soon on the economic impact of the rare April event. We hope to catch up with local businesses as well to hear their stories as they take stock.
Many local residents didn’t have to leave home to see the eclipse. With the help of many readers and regular contributors, we’ve assembled a collection of photos to capture the scenes all around town. We’ve divided the shots into several slideshows here: before, during and after the eclipse.
Many thanks to everyone who shared their photos.
The scene at Mad River Glen where eclipse watchers enjoyed tunes on the deck by Big County. Photo by Tom Van Sant
Watching the eclipse
Gordon Miller photographer caught the eclipse in Stowe. Meanwhile in Waterbury, Ryan Bertin and friends viewed the eclipse from the hill above Armory Drive and shared images from their telescope. Click to enlarge.
Pre-Eclipse
Photos below from contributors Cheryl Casey and David Goodman as well as Gordon Miller and Lisa Scagliotti at Waterbury Roundabout. Click on an image to see the gallery.
Post-Eclipse
Everyone has a post-eclipse traffic story. Here are some scenes from various spots around and above Waterbury from readers and photographer Gordon Miller.
South Main Street, Waterbury, at dusk, Monday, April 8. Photo by Gordon Miller
