Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gila Bend, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gila Bend and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gila Bend
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Gila Bend:
- 32.951027, -112.717325
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Gila Bend
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Maricopa County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Maricopa County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gila Bend ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Big Horn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - Buckeye
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
- Buckeye is located in Maricopa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85,224 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckeye <2>
- Cotton Center
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Center
- Cotton Center is located in Maricopa County
- Crag
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest) - Dixie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north) - Freeman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east) - Montezuma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west) - Rainbow Valley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainbow Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Valley
- Rainbow Valley is located in Maricopa County
- Rocky Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Rocky Point is located in Maricopa County
- Saddle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest) - Sentinel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
How Far From Gila Bend to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a town such as Gila Bend to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Gila Bend and extending to:
- Phoenix, which is the Seat of Maricopa County, lies 50 miles [80.5 km]<3> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Gila Bend to Phoenix, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of two days.
- Phoenix, which is the State Capital of Arizona, lies 50 miles [80.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,023 miles [3,255.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 4 days, a buggy would take 79 days and walking would take 115 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,495 miles [12,062 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,260 miles [13,293.2 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,200 miles [9,977.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gila Bend. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Maricopa County: www.maricopa.gov/
The official website for State of Arizona: https://az.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gila Bend) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gila Bend. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.9510, Longitude: -112.7173 |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Gila Bend to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 331.588 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 330.408 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 322.525 degrees. |