** RV spots on the map are available to rent. Call the phone numbers in the listings **
** We are now taking offers on our vacation homes for the 2023 and 2024 eclipse on our Hill Country Eclipse Journey website **
** Add your open land or RV park to the the map and our Eclipse App. Click the tab List Home or RV Spot to send details for consideration **
SIGN UP FOR PRIME VIEWING LOCATIONS FOR THE 2023 AND 2024 ECLIPSES!
Two great astronomical events will take place right over our heads in the Texas Hill Country in the upcoming two years!
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, there will be an annular solar eclipse (“annular” meaning the moon will be slightly closer to the earth at that point, meaning it won’t totally block out the sun, so a bright ring will be visible at the peak of the eclipse). On Monday, April 8, 2024, we’ll be right under a full solar eclipse, where the moon completely blocks out the sun. What do these rare events mean to our property hosts and RV-driving visitors? We’re glad you asked!
CALLING ALL ECLIPSE-CURIOUS GUESTS COMING TO THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY!
As we’ve all witnessed by watching media coverage of previous solar eclipses, these events draw much attention and many visitors! If you plan to be among those watching the Texas skies during one or both of these events, it’s never too soon to set your plan for those important dates. After all, thousands and thousands of other people are making their plans, too!
Backroads Reservations has been arranging fantastic vacation stays for our guests in the Hill Country since 2001. We’re attuned to what our treasured guests like to do and see while they visit, and are busily ramping up our preparations for incoming eclipse enthusiasts. We already have over 500 “eclipse acres” under our management, and we’re arranging for even more every day. Prime viewing spots will be in very high demand and fill up quickly! There’s no such thing as “too early” when it comes to booking a vacation home, tent camping space, or RV-friendly spot for folks who’d like to witness these amazing events.
If you’re interested in booking a vacation home, tent camping space, or RV-accessible property in or near the Hill Country towns listed below, now is the time to act! Download the free Texas Hill Country Travel App by Backroads Reservations as soon as possible for an overview of properties available for the eclipse events. New properties are coming online often, and our app will be the best way to track them in real-time! Moreover, our app will keep you in the loop with all eclipse-related developments the minute we know them. It may seem like a way off, but the time to act, prepare, and book that perfect eclipse-viewing property is now! We’d love to help you escape the last-minute scramble, so your eclipse experience will be fun, memorable, and positive!
For your convenience, we’ve also provided a form at the bottom of this page for you to sign up for consideration for the best eclipse viewing properties.
For more eclipse information, including articles, charts of eclipse duration for specific towns, and a travel preparedness checklist, download our free Texas Hill Country Travel App, available on iPhone and Android! We never share data with outside parties, so your info is secure.
TEXAS SOLAR ECLIPSE HOUSES FOR RENT
We’ve got 125 great vacation homes in the region, covering 21 Hill Country towns, all in the eclipse “bullseye.” These properties are already sparking interest from travelers. Browse the fantastic guest home rentals below, and keep in mind these premiere properties will be in high demand, under competitive bidding. Once you find an option that appeals to you, submit your offer as soon as possible. We’ll review and respond within 24 hours if your offer has been accepted, and you’ll be on your way!
HILL COUNTRY TOWNS IN THE PATH OF BOTH ECLIPSES
- Austin
- Bandera
- Bandera Falls
- Boerne
- Brady
- Burnet
- Camp Verde
- Camp Wood
- Castroville
- Center Point
- Comfort
- Concan
- D’Hanis
- Fredericksburg
- Georgetown
- Harper
- Helotes
- Hondo
- Hunt
- Ingram
- Junction
- Kerrville
- Lake Medina Shores
- Lakehills
- Leakey
- Llano
- Luckenbach
- Marble Falls
- Mason
- Mico
- Mountain Home
- New Braunfels
- Pipe Creek
- Reagan Wells
- Rio Frio
- Rocksprings
- Round Rock
- Sabinal
- San Antonio
- San Saba
- Tarpley
- Utopia
- Uvalde
- Vanderpool
TEXAS TRAVEL AND ECLIPSE APP
Are you looking for a true Texas Hill Country experience? Get the most out of your next trip to the Hill Country; download our Hill Country Travel App and keep yourself connected to everything our wonderful region has to offer!
Uncover the Hidden Gems
Whether you are a local or a first-time visitor, navigating the Hill Country has never been easier. Say goodbye to endless web searches – our app has you covered!
Explore Vacation Rentals
Browse over 150 amazing vacation rentals with detailed photos, amenities, and travel tips. Check-in assistance ensures a stress-free stay. Plus, get exclusive app-only discount codes for rental bookings!
All-Inclusive Town Guide
Explore 20 towns in-depth, with comprehensive info on local businesses and attractions. From antiques to restaurants, parks to museums, find everything at your fingertips!
Pet and Kid-Friendly Recommendations
Traveling with pets or little ones? Our travel app highlights the best pet-friendly and kid-friendly places for a family-friendly vacation.
Easy Navigation and Business Connections
Connect effortlessly with over 1,500 local businesses. Each listing includes maps, photos, phone numbers, web pages, and customized business info.
Stay Up to Date on Events
Never miss the action! Updated daily, our event section is packed with hundreds of concerts, festivals, farmers markets, car shows, and more. Searchable by town or date, plan your perfect getaway or weekend outing!
Special Eclipse Section
Prepare for the upcoming 2023 “ring of fire” annular and 2024 full solar eclipses with our dedicated section. Explore eclipse vacation homes, eclipse-themed event listings, articles, viewing tips, and a “darkness totality calculator” for specific towns.
Rich Resources, No Personal Data Required
Our app is a FREE download and respects your privacy. Enjoy a powerful travel tool without compromising your personal information.
Offline Mode
Stay connected even in areas with spotty phone service. Our app is customized for Hill Country use and offers an offline mode for on-the-go explorers.
Everyone Benefits Together
Our app fosters a strong connection between travelers and local businesses. Support the community while enjoying your Hill Country experience!
Embrace the Beauty of the Hill Country: Whether you are near or far, the Texas Hill Country Travel App provides all the resources you need to fall in love with this stunning region. Download it for FREE today and start your adventure!
PUTTING YOUR BUSINESS’ BEST FOOT FORWARD BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE FULL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Businesses must be prepared…
If you own a Hill Country business, chances are you’ve had your ear to the ground and are aware of the full solar eclipse coming soon. Most of the region will be directly under the eclipse’s path of totality, and that means hundreds of thousands of curious visitors will stop by for a choice view of the rare sky show.
Monday, April 8, 2024, is the big red-letter date, and all traveler-friendly Hill Country businesses should prepare for the challenges and opportunities all those people will present. This article is being published in early 2023 and for a good reason. While it’s easy to be tempted by the “I’ve got plenty of time” mindset, the time to plan and implement an eclipse preparedness strategy is NOW.
…major events like this are great news for tourism, but these events will also present challenges!
Provide your information below to receive our FREE 18-point business preparedness guide by email!
SIGN UP TO HOST GUESTS FOR THE 2023 AND 2024 eclipses!
Two great astronomical events will take place right over our heads in the Texas Hill Country in the upcoming two years!
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, there will be an annular solar eclipse (“annular” meaning the moon will be slightly closer to the earth at that point, meaning it won’t totally block out the sun, so a bright ring will be visible at the peak of the eclipse). On Monday, April 8, 2024, we’ll be right under a full solar eclipse, where the moon completely blocks out the sun. What do these rare events mean to our property hosts and RV-driving visitors? We’re glad you asked!
CALLING ALL VACATION HOME, TENT CAMPING, & RV SPOT PROPERTY OWNERS!
As we’ve all witnessed by watching media coverage of previous solar eclipses, these events draw much attention and many visitors! With the Texas Hill Country directly in the shadow of the upcoming eclipses, Backroads Reservations is uniquely qualified to help you benefit from the influx of thousands of people who will be coming to the region on those important dates.
We’ve been arranging fantastic vacation stays for our guests in the Hill Country since 2001. We’re attuned to what our guests like to do and see while they visit and are ramping up our preparations for incoming eclipse enthusiasts. We already have over 500 “eclipse acres” under our management, and there’s no question we’ll need plenty more. There’s no such thing as “too early” when it comes to preparing vacation homes, tent camping spaces, and RV-friendly spots for folks who want to witness these amazing events. Prime space will be in high demand, and here’s where you come in!
If you own a vacation home, tent camping space, or RV-accessible property in or near the Hill Country towns listed below, now is the time to act! Download the free Texas Hill Country Travel App by Backroads Reservations as soon as possible for a free land evaluation and host preparation package and future updates on this fun and profitable project. We’ll keep you in the loop with developments when we know them. It may seem like a way off, but the time to act and start preparing is now, so we can work together to make our visitors’ eclipse experiences fun, memorable, and positive!
For your convenience, we’ve also provided a form at the bottom of this page for you to submit your property for consideration.
For more eclipse information, including articles, charts of eclipse duration for specific towns, and a travel preparedness checklist, download our free Texas Hill Country Travel App, available on iPhone and Android! We never share data with outside parties, so your info is secure.
The Texas Hill Country will be in the bullseye for two upcoming solar eclipses. Saturday, October 14, 2023 will bring an annular “Ring of Fire” eclipse, and a full eclipse will occur Monday, April 8, 2024. While these events will help boost local tourism, they will also present challenges. To address these, the Bandera-based vacation rental specialists of Backroads Reservations are launching the “Clear the Roads Initiative” in a special eclipse section of their Texas Hill Country Travel App.
PR NEWSWIRE PRESS RELEASE
“Clear the Roads Initiative,” Travel App to Address Solar Eclipse Impact
Bandera, TX, January 17, 2023 –(PR.com)– Backroads Reservations, a professional property management company in this small town in the Texas Hill Country, has catered to vacationers since 2001. The Hill Country is a forested greenbelt west of I-35 roughly between Austin and San Antonio, and Bandera itself serves as a gateway to the region from all of Texas’ major metro areas.
Spencer Forrest, Backroads’ CEO, recently released the Texas Hill Country Travel App, which directs visitors to traveler-friendly businesses, who benefit from increased commerce. “It’s proven to be a valuable tool,” Forrest said, “it covers over 18 towns, and lists over 750 businesses and attractions. It’s a free download that connects guests and merchants in a unique and powerful way.”
Two upcoming events will increase tourism dramatically. On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the region will witness an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse, and a full solar eclipse will cast its shadow here on Monday, April 8, 2024. These eclipses could draw millions of people, which would create issues in and around Bandera.
Interest is increasing rapidly. Bookings for eclipse visits started a year ago, and Forrest recognized the need for preparation. As a result, he dedicated a section of the app to the events. “We’re covering them from every angle, from the science to preparedness tips, even the duration of darkness expected for each Hill Country town.”
Bandera must prepare for a huge influx of people over a short period, Forrest added; resources will be tested, and must be reinforced. As Forrest put it, “Not to push the panic button, but we’ll be ‘ground zero,’ since most of the eclipse tourists will hit Bandera,” As a part of the solution, Backroads’ “Clear the Roads Initiative” will deal with the explosion in local traffic. The program will work in tandem with property owners and local officials to get visitors off the roads and in secure viewing sites with minimal issues.
The initiative’s features will be added to the app’s eclipse section, with weather alerts, traffic reports, fuel shortage notifications, and more traveler-focused assistance. It will also include real-time emergency communications and instructions, and a rural offline mode, for when no Wifi or cell service is available.
Forrest concluded, “Bandera, and our neighboring Hill Country communities, should be proud to host these events. But we need to be ready and, in the end, proud of our response to them. Our comprehensive preparation, as reflected in the app and ‘Clear the Roads Initiative,’ will provide a win-win solution that gets the job done.”
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an annular eclipse, and why are they called “ring of fire” eclipses?
“Annular” means ring-shaped, so an annular solar eclipse is defined by the ring of sunlight that still shows through when the moon is directly in front of the sun. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon is at its farthest distance from the earth, and this makes it appear slightly smaller to observers below. As a result, the moon
doesn’t appear to fully cover the sun’s disc. It’s roughly like stacking a dime on top of a penny; a thin ring of copper color will still show beyond the edges of the smaller coin. This is what happens on an astronomical scale during an annular eclipse, and the bright circle of light (in contrast to the almost pitch-black disc of the moon) that appears during its peak is what gives the phenomenon the nickname “ring of fire.”- What is a total solar eclipse?
The moon’s orbit around the earth isn’t a perfect circle; it’s flattened slightly into an ellipse. As a result, the distance between the earth and the moon differs very slightly over time. In the case of a full solar eclipse, the moon is at its closest distance to the earth, so it appears a little larger from our point of view than it does at its greatest distance away from us. Under those circumstances, the moon’s disc is large enough to appear to completely cover that of the sun. Since the star briefly, but completely, disappears behind our natural satellite, the occurrence is called a total solar eclipse. Long story short: the solar body is eclipsed for a short period of time by the lunar body…at least, from our perspective here on earth.
- What’s the difference between an annular solar eclipse and a full one?
It depends on the distance from the earth to the moon at a given time. The moon’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle, it’s flattened slightly. When the moon is at its farthest distance from the earth, it appears smaller from our perspective; as a result, its disc isn’t large enough to cover the sun. That would result in an annular solar eclipse, with the “ring of fire” peeking around the moon. When the moon is closer to us, it appears larger down here, big enough to cover the sun entirely. That’s a full solar eclipse.
We’re lucky to have solar eclipses at all! Our moon is roughly 1/400th the diameter of the sun, and the distance to the sun from the earth is about 400 times as far as it is from here to the moon. This positions us perfectly to see occasional solar eclipses on our planet’s surface.
- When will we see another annular or solar eclipse over the Hill Country?
Let’s put it this way: you’ll need to travel to other parts of the globe, or wait a very long time, to see another solar eclipse over the Hill Country. The next full solar eclipse over the United States will be on August 23, 2044, but its path of totality will be well north of Texas, in North Dakota and Montana. On March 30, 2052, another will pass over central Mexico, which will be partially visible in southern Texas. The next annular eclipse to swing over Texas won’t be until November 15, 2077.
These stats should emphasize just how amazingly rare and unique the annular eclipse on October 14, 2023, and the full eclipse of April 8, 2024, really are, and that the Hill Country is in the bullseye of both! They will both be once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
- Where is the best place in Texas to see the 2023 annular eclipse?
The path of annularity of the annular solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 will trace a northwest-to-southeast path from west-central to southeast Texas. The largest Texas city in the path will be San Antonio, but the majority of the Texas Hill Country will enjoy a prime view of the eclipse. If you’d like more detailed information on the annularity path, as well as many other aspects of the eclipse, Backroads Reservations’ Texas Hill Country Travel App has an entire section dedicated to the topic, including a town-by-town, down-to-the-second breakdown of the eclipse’s duration over specific locations. The app is a free download, and its eclipse section will be a valuable source of information for locals and visitors alike.
- Where is the best place in Texas to see the 2024 solar eclipse?
The path of totality of the full solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 will trace a southwest-to-northeast path from southwest to northeast Texas. The largest Texas cities in the path will be San Antonio and Austin, but the majority of the Texas Hill Country will enjoy a prime view of the eclipse. If you’d like more detailed information on the totality path, as well as many other aspects of the eclipse, Backroads Reservations’ Texas Hill Country Travel App has an entire section dedicated to the topic, including a town-by-town, down-to-the-second breakdown of the eclipse’s duration over specific locations. The app is a free download, and its eclipse section
will be a valuable source of information for locals and visitors alike.- Where can I view the eclipse if I have an RV?
Backroads Reservations is aware of the special space and resource needs of RV owners, and we’re working diligently to find RV-friendly spaces for our visitors during the eclipse periods. Our website and free Hill Country Travel App both have sections designed specifically to connect RV owners and Hill Country property owners who will have RV-friendly land available during the eclipses. If you’re planning on bringing an RV to the Hill Country during either eclipse, or both for that matter, sign up with us now! We’ll keep you posted in the availability of RV rental spaces.
- Where can I find a vacation home to stay in during the eclipse?
Friends, we understand your frustration! There seem to be hundreds of articles about the eclipses out there, but few to none with the Hill Country-specific information you need. At Backroads Reservations, we’ve researched over 150 eclipse-related websites (and that number’s sure to climb), gathering the tidbits of info we know will be important and useful to our guests. You’ll be able to find all the results of our electronic legwork by downloading our free Texas Hill Country Travel App,! Within the app, you’ll see there’s a full section dedicated specifically to the solar eclipse events, including viewing tips, rental availability, and exact eclipse times and duration broken down by specific towns. We’re constantly gathering and adding information, so our app will be the most valuable and up-to-date resource our visiting friends can have.
- Is there an app with eclipse information?
Friends, we understand your frustration! There seem to be hundreds of articles about the eclipses out there, but few to none with the Hill Country-specific information you need. At Backroads Reservations, we’ve researched over 150 eclipse-related websites (and that number’s sure to climb), gathering the tidbits of info we know will be important and useful to our guests. You’ll be able to find all the results of our electronic legwork by downloading our free Texas Hill Country Travel App! Within the app, you’ll see there’s a full section dedicated specifically to the solar eclipse events, including viewing tips, rental availability, and exact eclipse times and duration broken down by specific towns. We’re constantly gathering and adding information, so our app will be the most valuable and up-to-date resource our visiting friends can have.
- Is there a list of eclipse preparedness tips for business owners?
The upcoming solar eclipses will be bringing thousands of people into the Hill Country over a short period of time. This will create challenges for local business owners, including issues ranging from parking spaces to having enough stock on hand of important staple items. Backroads Reservations is working in tandem with not only Hill Country business owners, but also property owners and local authorities, in order to make the eclipse events pleasant and beneficial to all involved. With a free download of our Texas Hill Country Travel App, you’ll be connected to eclipse-specific information that includes business preparedness. The app’s events section will also keep you informed about eclipse brainstorming and preparation meetings in your local towns and counties. It’s all part of our goal to keep everyone connected and informed for these exciting and challenging eclipse events!