Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Alto Pass, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alto Pass and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Alto Pass

• 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 Alto Pass:
  • 37.573680, -89.319141
  • 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 Alto Pass

• 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 Union County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Union County
  • Since Alto Pass is near Jackson County and also Williamson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Jackson County
  • eBird sighting report for Williamson 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 Alto Pass ...

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.

• Anna
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
  • Anna is located in Union County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,059 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
• Carbondale
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
  • Carbondale is located in Jackson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,036 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carbondale <1>
• Dutch Mills
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Mills
  • Dutch Mills is located in Union County
• Evergreen Terrace
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Terrace
  • Evergreen Terrace is located in Jackson County
• Grand Tower
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Tower
  • Grand Tower is located in Jackson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 560 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Tower <1>
• Lovejoy
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovejoy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovejoy
  • Lovejoy is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
• Mason
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
  • Mason is located in Union County
• Moccasin Springs
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moccasin Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin Springs
  • Moccasin Springs is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
• Mountain Glen
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Glen
  • Mountain Glen is located in Union County
• Poplar Ridge
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Ridge
  • Poplar Ridge is located in Jackson County
• Pottsville
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
  • Pottsville is located in Union County
• Union Point
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Point
  • Union Point is located in Union County
• Water Valley
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
  • Water Valley is located in Union County
• Wolf Lake
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
  • Wolf Lake is located in Union County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolf Lake <1>

How Far From Alto Pass to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a village such as Alto Pass to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Alto Pass and extending to:

• Jonesboro, which is the Seat of Union County, lies just to the South Southeast.
• Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 153 miles [246.2 km]<3> to the north (N). If you could drive a straight line from Alto Pass to Springfield, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 671 miles [1,079.9 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 39 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,456 miles [10,389.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,185 miles [11,563.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,063 miles [8,148.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alto Pass. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov