Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Island Lake, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Island Lake and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Island Lake
- 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 Island Lake:
- 42.277742, -88.200246
- 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 Island Lake
- 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 McHenry County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McHenry County
- Since Island Lake is near Lake County and also Cook County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lake County
- eBird sighting report for Cook 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 Island Lake ...
We found ten communities that share the name Island Lake.
Within Illinois, the name Island Lake is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another ten communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these ten communities, seven are located in the United States and four are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alberta
- This Island Lake lies 1,434 miles [2,307.8 km]<1> to the northwest of the Island Lake that is located in McHenry County.
- Florida
- Orange 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 Florida community of Island Lake [Orange County].
- Manitoba
- This Island Lake lies 861 miles [1,385.6 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Island Lake that is located in McHenry County.
- Michigan
- Livingston 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 Michigan community of Island Lake [Livingston County].
- Minnesota
- Beltrami County
- This Island Lake is located in Beltrami County and lies 505 miles [812.7 km]<1> to the northwest of the Island Lake that is located in McHenry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Beltrami County community of Island Lake.
- Lyon 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 Minnesota community of Island Lake [Lyon County].
- North Dakota
- Rolette 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 North Dakota community of Island Lake [Rolette County].
- Ontario
- This Island Lake lies 359 miles [577.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Island Lake that is located in McHenry County.
- Washington
- Kitsap 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 Washington community of Island Lake [Kitsap County].
- Wisconsin
- Rusk County
- This Island Lake is located in Rusk County and lies 262 miles [421.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Island Lake that is located in McHenry County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rusk County community of Island Lake.
- Alberta
Curious and Interesting Names Near Island Lake ...
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.
- Cuba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Emerald Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emerald Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Park
- Emerald Park is located in McHenry County
- Ferndale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Fox River Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fox River Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River Grove
- Fox River Grove is located in McHenry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,518 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fox River Grove <4>
- Holiday Hills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holiday Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
- Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
- Lake Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Corner
- Lake Corner is located in Lake County
- Prairie Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
- Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
- Riverstream
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverstream have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverstream
- Riverstream is located in McHenry County
- Round Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
- Round Lake is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,982 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Round Lake <4>
- Silver Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Silver Lake is located in McHenry County
- Ski Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south) - Terra Cotta
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terra Cotta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terra Cotta
- Terra Cotta is located in McHenry County
- Continue List (4 more) ...
- Thornfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thornfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornfield
- Thornfield is located in Lake County
- Tower Lakes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tower Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Lakes
- Tower Lakes is located in Lake County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
- Trout Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trout Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Valley
- Trout Valley is located in McHenry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
- Williams Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williams Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Park
- Williams Park is located in Lake County
- Thornfield
How Far From Island Lake 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 village such as Island Lake to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Island Lake and extending to:
- Woodstock, which is the Seat of McHenry County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Island Lake to Woodstock, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 188 miles [302.6 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 629 miles [1,012.3 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 36 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,183 miles [9,950.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,924 miles [11,143.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,810 miles [7,740.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Island Lake: www.villageofislandlake.com/
The official website for McHenry County: www.co.mchenry.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.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- Island Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Island Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2777, Longitude: -88.2002 In this case, the coordinates for Island Lake 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 Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird 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 Island Lake 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> | 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 Island Lake 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 314.811 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.816 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.734 degrees. |