Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Shafter, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shafter and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Shafter
- 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 Shafter:
- 38.004595, -122.708560
- 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 Shafter
- 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 Marin County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marin County
- Since Shafter is near Sonoma County and also Contra Costa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Sonoma County
- eBird sighting report for Contra Costa 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 Shafter ...
We found six communities that share the name Shafter.
There is one other community in California which is also named Shafter.
Beyond California, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Located In California ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Shafter ...
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.
- Five Brooks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Brooks
- Five Brooks is located in Marin County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Five Brooks
- From Shafter to Five Brooks
- Forest Knolls
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Knolls
- Forest Knolls is located in Marin County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Knolls <3>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Forest Knolls
- From Shafter to Forest Knolls
- Golf ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Jewell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Kent Woodlands
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kent Woodlands have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent Woodlands
- Kent Woodlands is located in Marin County
- Larkspur
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkspur
- Larkspur is located in Marin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,236 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Larkspur <3>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Larkspur
- From Shafter to Larkspur
- Lucas Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lucas Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas Valley
- Lucas Valley is located in Marin County
- Manor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Sleepy Hollow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sleepy Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Hollow
- Sleepy Hollow is located in Marin County
How Far From Shafter 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 community such as Shafter to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Shafter and extending to:
- San Rafael, which is the Seat of Marin County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Shafter to San Rafael, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 77 miles [123.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,444 miles [3,933.2 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 96 days and walking would take 139 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,405 miles [11,917.2 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,171 miles [13,149.9 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,232 miles [10,029.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shafter. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Marin County: www.co.marin.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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shafter) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shafter. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.0046, Longitude: -122.7086 |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Shafter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Shafter to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 340.473 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 341.491 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 328.345 degrees. |