Mayor of small town in Utah to eclipse viewers: ‘Don’t try to come here’

For those looking for a last-minute locale in southern Utah to watch Saturday’s “ring of fire” solar eclipse, the mayor of Bluff has a message: “Don’t try to come here.”

The small town of about 260 people expects an influx of 20,000 eclipse viewers this weekend, Mayor Ann Leppanen said. It sits in a pocket of Utah that’s directly within the annular eclipse’s path. It has almost no light pollution. The weather forecast calls for mostly clear skies Saturday, making for ideal viewing conditions.

But making the trek to Bluff, the mayor warned, isn’t “a wise idea.”

“It’s weird to be a tourist town saying, ‘Don’t be a tourist for these three days,’” Leppanen said. “But we don’t have the infrastructure to support even 5,000 people.”

[Read more: Q&A: Utah’s eclipse view and what to expect Saturday]

Bluff began preparing for an onslaught of eclipse chasers more than a year and a half ago, holding weekly meetings. It assembled a band of 50 volunteers and boxes of solar viewing glasses. As of Wednesday afternoon, Leppanen’s team was busy setting up barricades, siting porta-potties and distributing walkie-talkies.

“Starting yesterday [we] saw a major uptick in number of people coming in with RVs asking about camping,” Leppanen said. “Today we’ve got a noticeable uptick in traffic going through.”

All the town’s hotels and campgrounds were booked more than a year ago. The surrounding tribal parks, including Monument Valley, will be closed for the event.

“I would say don’t try to go any farther than Moab,” the mayor cautioned.

For those who want to visit Bluff anyway, or have existing reservations, Leppanen said to bring plenty of water, food and medication. Don’t expect an easy day trip.

Only one major highway, U.S. 191, passes through town. There will likely be gridlock for the entire weekend. She expects the local gas station to run out of fuel and the restaurants to run out of supplies. Cell service will probably be limited, too.

“I would not want to be here unless you get here before [Friday] the 13th,” Leppanen said. “... Be prepared to be stuck here afterward.”

The town prepared an “eclipse tips” sheet with more visitor information, which includes what to do in case of an emergency.

By the time the crowds clear out on Sunday, Leppanen says she hopes to have the town cleaned up and back to functional in time for the Bluff Arts Festival, which runs Oct. 19-22.