With dozens of places to watch the rare total eclipse in Georgia, it is hard to say which will truly be the "best" place to watch. Still, if you're looking for the highest point in Georgia to see an incredible sight you may never live to see again, there is but one place: Black Rock Mountain.
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Black Rock Mountain, located in Clayton, Georgia, sits about two-hours northwest of Atlanta in Rabun County, and, at an elevation of 3,640 feet, is the most towering state park in Georgia. That distinction has made the Georgia state park one of the top choices for places in Georgia to watch the solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
If you’re considering Black Rock as a potential eclipse watch spot, we’ve gathered some important things to note about the highest state park in Georgia.
The mountain is named after, you guessed it, rocks.
Black Rock Mountain is named after the dark-colored sheer cliffs of biotite gneiss, a rock formed from granite and sedimentary rock, that can be found in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
You get a view of several states from the mountain’s zenith.
At the peak of Black Rock, one can view Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee all at once. Black Rock Mountain Park also gives nature lovers an 80-mile vista of the Appalachian Mountains.
You will be able to see the total path of the eclipse from Black Rock Mountain.
In addition to being one of the highest places to view the eclipse, Black Rock Mountain will be one of only a handful of places in Georgia that are in the eclipse's path of totality. According to eclipse2017.org, onlookers will be able to witness 2 minutes and 35 seconds of the eclipse in Clayton.
It may be hard to find lodging near Black Rock Mountain for the Great American Eclipse.
According to a quick TripAdvisor search, there were no hotel rooms available in nearby Mountain City, Georgia. The park's 38 camping sites and 10 cottages were also booked as of Tuesday, Aug. 1. However, there were several options on the vacation rental site AirBnB. AirBnB rooms are currently running from about $95 per night to as much as $10,000.
There will be a Total Eclipse party, and everyone’s invited.
Since it's no secret that many folks will be flocking to Clayton on Aug. 21, Black Rock Mountain park officials have organized a Total Solar Eclipse event from 1- 4 p.m. There's a parking fee of $5 at the park. And, if you forget your eclipse glasses, the park will have some for sale. Black Mountain State Park is located at 3085 Black Rock Mountain Pkwy. For more details about the eclipse, check out our ultimate guide to the once-in-a-lifetime event here.
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