Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Obsidian, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Obsidian and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Obsidian
- 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 Obsidian:
- 44.078797, -114.847298
- 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 Obsidian
- 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 Custer County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Custer County
- Since Obsidian is near Blaine County and also Boise County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Blaine County
- eBird sighting report for Boise 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 Obsidian ...
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.
- Bonanza ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonanza
- Bonanza is located in Custer County
- Boulder ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder
- Boulder is located in Blaine County
- Boulder has also been known as:
- Boulder Basin
- Galena
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
- Galena is located in Blaine County
- Graham ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west) - Grandjean
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Robinson Bar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Robinson Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Bar
- Robinson Bar is located in Custer County
- Sawtooth City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawtooth City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawtooth City
- Sawtooth City is located in Blaine County
- Stanley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Stanley is located in Custer County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanley <2>
- Sunbeam
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
How Far From Obsidian 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 Obsidian to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Obsidian and extending to:
- Challis, which is the Seat of Custer County, lies 42 miles [67.6 km]<3> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Obsidian to Challis, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take about three full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- Boise City, which is the State Capital of Idaho, lies 74 miles [119.1 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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 1,970 miles [3,170.4 km] to the east (E). Driving would take three full days, a buggy would take 77 days and walking would take 112 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,862 miles [11,043.3 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 7,630 miles [12,279.3 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,656 miles [9,102.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Obsidian. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Custer County: www.co.custer.id.us/
The official website for State of Idaho: www.state.id.us/
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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Obsidian) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Obsidian. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.0788, Longitude: -114.8473 In this case, the coordinates for Obsidian have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Obsidian 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 334.55 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 334.838 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 323.274 degrees. |