The annular eclipse in California in 2012 really didn't draw much in the way of crowds. Some friends and I drove up to near Mt Lassen and found a field with no real traffic or crowds to contend with. There were others in the field we ended up in, but it was really pretty straightforward.

It seems like there's a lot more hype around this one; I'm not sure why. Maybe 'total' vs 'annular'? Personally, I think they're both pretty spectacular, and annular eclipses have the added benefit of having the awesome ring-of-fire effect.