Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Aspen, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Aspen and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Aspen
- 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 Aspen:
- 39.418714, -77.318595
- 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 Aspen
- 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 Frederick County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Frederick County
- Since Aspen is near Montgomery County and also Carroll County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
- eBird sighting report for Carroll 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
Communities Also Named Aspen ...
We found five communities that share the name Aspen.
Within Maryland, the name Aspen is unique.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these five communities, four are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Colorado
- North Carolina
- Nova Scotia
- This Aspen lies 877 miles [1,411.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Aspen that is located in Frederick County.
- Virginia
- Wyoming
Curious and Interesting Names Near Aspen ...
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.
- Alpine
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Chestnut Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Grove
- Chestnut Grove is located in Frederick County
- Clear View
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear View have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear View
- Clear View is located in Frederick County
- Coldstream
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coldstream have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldstream
- Coldstream is located in Frederick County
- Dennis ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Discovery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Elliot
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast) - Hartman
(Less than 2 miles to the south) - Hickory Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
- Hickory Hill is located in Frederick County
- Honey Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Hill
- Honey Hill is located in Frederick County
- Hoot'N Hollow
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoot'N Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoot'N Hollow
- Hoot'N Hollow is located in Frederick County
- Hunting Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunting Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Hills
- Hunting Hills is located in Frederick County
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Islands of Balmoral
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Islands of Balmoral have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Islands of Balmoral
- Islands of Balmoral is located in Frederick County
- Longview
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast) - Martin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south) - Meadows
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast) - Mount Pleasant
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Frederick County
- Nightingale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nightingale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nightingale
- Nightingale is located in Frederick County
- Peace and Plenty
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peace and Plenty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peace and Plenty
- Peace and Plenty is located in Frederick County
- Pleasant Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Heights
- Pleasant Heights is located in Frederick County
- Pleasant Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Oaks
- Pleasant Oaks is located in Frederick County
- Pleasant Ridge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Frederick County
- Scouts Knoll
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scouts Knoll have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scouts Knoll
- Scouts Knoll is located in Frederick County
- Silver Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Hill
- Silver Hill is located in Frederick County
- Ten Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north) - Tulip Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tulip Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulip Hill
- Tulip Hill is located in Frederick County
- Windy Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windy Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy Hill
- Windy Hill is located in Frederick County
- Woodspring
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodspring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodspring
- Woodspring is located in Frederick County
- Islands of Balmoral
How Far From Aspen 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 community such as Aspen to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Aspen and extending to:
- Frederick, which is the Seat of Frederick County, lies just to the West.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 53 miles [85.3 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could walk a straight line from Aspen to Annapolis, 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 over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 39 miles [62.8 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take over two days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,887 miles [9,474.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,595 miles [10,613.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,471 miles [7,195.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Aspen. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Frederick County: www.co.frederick.md.us/
The official website for State of Maryland: www.maryland.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Aspen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Aspen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4187, Longitude: -77.3186 In this case, the coordinates for Aspen have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Aspen could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Aspen 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 308.023 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.671 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.632 degrees. |