On August 21st, 2017, the southern portion of the Cherokee National Forest will experience a rare and very dramatic solar eclipse. The shadow of the moon will follow long path across the United Stated. That shadow will start to cross the Cherokee National Forest in the vicinity of Athens, TN, just after 3:30 p.m. EST as shown on this special eclipse edition of the Outdoor Recreation Map.

Visitors are expected to come from all over the world to experience day turning dark for three minutes or less. What they see will depend on where they are as the shadow passes. Along the edge of the shadow, the sun will dim only slightly since the moon will cover a small amount. Towards the center, the moon will almost completely cover the sun, causing day to turn almost as dark as night. The effect is often dramatic, because bird songs and other normal forest sounds can fall completely silent.

More information is available at numerous websites, including https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/best-places-to-view/