Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ridgecrest, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ridgecrest and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ridgecrest
- 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 Ridgecrest:
- 35.622443, -117.669968
- 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 Ridgecrest
- 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 Kern County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Kern County
- Since Ridgecrest is near San Bernardino County and also Inyo County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for San Bernardino County
- eBird sighting report for Inyo 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 Ridgecrest ...
We found 22 communities that share the name Ridgecrest.
Within California, the name Ridgecrest is unique.
Beyond California, we know of another 22 communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Jefferson County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Jefferson County and lies 1,756 miles [2,826 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson County community of Ridgecrest.
- Montgomery County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Montgomery County and lies 1,801 miles [2,898.4 km] to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Ridgecrest.
- Arkansas
- Lonoke County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Lonoke County and lies 1,438 miles [2,314.2 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lonoke County community of Ridgecrest.
- Florida
- Pinellas County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Pinellas County and lies 2,103 miles [3,384.5 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pinellas County community of Ridgecrest.
- Georgia
- Henry County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Henry County and lies 1,896 miles [3,051.3 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Henry County community of Ridgecrest.
- Illinois
- Grundy County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Grundy County and lies 1,622 miles [2,610.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grundy County community of Ridgecrest.
- Louisiana
- Concordia Parish
- This Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish and lies 1,523 miles [2,451 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Concordia Parish community of Ridgecrest.
- Ouachita Parish
- This Ridgecrest is located in Ouachita Parish and lies 1,469 miles [2,364.1 km] to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ouachita Parish community of Ridgecrest.
- Maryland
- Montgomery County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Montgomery County and lies 2,217 miles [3,567.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montgomery County community of Ridgecrest.
- North Carolina
- Buncombe County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Buncombe County and lies 1,975 miles [3,178.5 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Buncombe County community of Ridgecrest.
- South Carolina
- Aiken County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Aiken County and lies 2,028 miles [3,263.7 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Aiken County community of Ridgecrest.
- Florence County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Florence County and lies 2,132 miles [3,431.1 km] to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Florence County community of Ridgecrest.
- Tennessee
- Putnam County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Putnam County and lies 1,793 miles [2,885.6 km]<1> to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Putnam County community of Ridgecrest.
- Texas
- Brazos County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Ridgecrest [Brazos County].
- Harris County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Harris County and lies 1,345 miles [2,164.6 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Harris County community of Ridgecrest.
- Jefferson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Ridgecrest [Jefferson County].
- Orange County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Orange County and lies 1,433 miles [2,306.2 km] to the east of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of Ridgecrest.
- Randall County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Texas community of Ridgecrest [Randall County].
- Utah
- Salt Lake County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Salt Lake County and lies 466 miles [750 km]<1> to the northeast of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Salt Lake County community of Ridgecrest.
- Virginia
- Fairfax County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Virginia community of Ridgecrest [Fairfax County].
- Pittsylvania County
- This Ridgecrest is located in Pittsylvania County and lies 2,120 miles [3,411.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pittsylvania County community of Ridgecrest.
- Washington
- King County
- This Ridgecrest is located in King County and lies 870 miles [1,400.1 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Ridgecrest that is located in Kern County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the King County community of Ridgecrest.
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ridgecrest ...
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.
- Bradys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest) - Brown ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest) - China Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China Lake
- China Lake is located in Kern County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for China Lake <4>
- Freeman ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Freeman is located in Kern County
- Harts Place
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harts Place have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harts Place
- Harts Place is located in Kern County
- Indian Wells
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Wells
- Indian Wells is located in Kern County
- Pinnacle ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east) - Skytop
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast) - Spangler ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
How Far From Ridgecrest to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Ridgecrest to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ridgecrest and extending to:
- Bakersfield, which is the Seat of Kern County, lies 79 miles [127.1 km]<1> to the west southwest. If you could drive a straight line from Ridgecrest to Bakersfield, with an average speed<6>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 292 miles [469.9 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 12 days and walking would take 17 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,226 miles [3,582.4 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 87 days and walking would take 127 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,455 miles [11,997.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,223 miles [13,233.6 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,218 miles [10,006.9 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Ridgecrest: www.ci.ridgecrest.ca.us/
The official website for Kern County: www.co.kern.ca.us/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ridgecrest) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ridgecrest. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.6224, Longitude: -117.6700 |
| <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 Ridgecrest 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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Ridgecrest to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 335.981 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 335.934 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 325.311 degrees. |