Welcome from the Mayor!

The eclipse on Monday, August 21 will be a truly awesome event. Lincoln City, with a permanent population of 8,500 is in the path of totality and a location of the first landfall as the shadow makes its way across the ocean. On a normal summer day in August, the city is full of tourists, increasing the population of the city to 25-30,000. Our best guess for the eclipse weekend is that we will have an extra 25-50,000 visitors. Our city staff has been planning for how to handle the influx of people and cars, but we know we will need everyone’s patience and tolerance to ensure a good time. If you plan to be in Lincoln City for the eclipse, the following pages provide information to help you enjoy the event and your time here. We hope you will come to our tourist community at other times for a more normal weekend at the beach!

Sincerely,
Mayor Don Williams

Enjoy Your Eclipse Experience

The eclipse weekend in Lincoln City may present challenges. The large number of people in town will likely make for crowded roadways and cell phone service.

Here are some helpful hints for visitors the eclipse weekend in Lincoln City:

Arrive early, stay late – Consider arriving in Lincoln City before the weekend and staying through Monday or Tuesday. You’ll find lots to do in this wonderful vacation spot and spend less time in traffic.

Know where to go – Lincoln City is over seven miles long and Highway 101 is the only continuous north-south street. Print out the map (link coming soon) the city has prepared especially for the event that shows alternative routes, locations of restroom facilities, parking lots, first aid stations, and trash receptacles. You may not be able to get online to access the map during the eclipse weekend.

Tip: North-south streets all have nautical names (e.g., Anchor, Beach, Coast), and are in alphabetical order starting at the ocean. East-west streets are numerical starting at the D River in the center of town with North 2nd Street and South 1st Street.

Avoid left turns on and off the highway – Don’t expect to make a left turn on or off the highway, except at these traffic controlled intersections .
Walk, don’t drive! Once you are here, park your car and leave it. The sun will be high in the sky (to the south), so you can get a good view from many locations. Trained flaggers will help with traffic control, especially getting pedestrians across the highway safely. We are testing the use of flags for individual pedestrians to carry across the highway, increasing their visibility.

Stock up – Get your water, medications, groceries, gas, and sunscreen well before the weekend. Our local stores will have extra supplies for last minute needs.

Bring cash – The internet might not be available to process credit card and debit card purchases. Consider bringing enough cash to purchase food and other items.

Wear eclipse glasses – They are essential, if you want to look at the sun before, during, or after the eclipse, and we know you will. Direct viewing without glasses for even a short time can cause permanent blindness. Glasses are available at many of our stores and online for only a few dollars a pair.

Set a meeting place – Don’t count on communicating with your cell phones. This many people using the system likely will cause long delays and dropped calls. Set a place to meet in case your group separates.

Watch for signs – The city is posting signs to help you get around during eclipse weekend. These include directions to places and facilities, instructions for safe travel, and road closed signs on streets that have no available parking.