Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rock Valley, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rock Valley and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rock Valley
- 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 Rock Valley:
- 42.193981, -72.675925
- 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 Rock Valley
- 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 Hampden County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hampden County
- Since Rock Valley is near Hampshire County and also Franklin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Hampshire County
- eBird sighting report for Franklin 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 Rock Valley ...
We found two communities that share the name Rock Valley.
Within Massachusetts, the name Rock Valley is unique.
Beyond Massachusetts, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Iowa
- Sioux County
- This Rock Valley is located in Sioux County and lies 1,196 miles [1,924.8 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Rock Valley that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sioux County community of Rock Valley.
- New York
- Delaware County
- This Rock Valley is located in Delaware County and lies 125 miles [201.2 km]<1> to the west of the Rock Valley that is located in Hampden County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delaware County community of Rock Valley.
- Iowa
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rock Valley ...
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.
- Cayenne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Chicopee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Chicopee is located in Hampden County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,825 people
- Freeman Knoll
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman Knoll have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Knoll
- Freeman Knoll is located in Hampden County
- Great Swamp
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Great Swamp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Swamp
- Great Swamp is located in Hampshire County
- Hockanum
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Liberty Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Heights
- Liberty Heights is located in Hampden County
- Little River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Little River is located in Hampden County
- Loudville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest) - Mount Tom
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Mountain Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
- Mountain Park is located in Hampden County
- Plainville ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
- Plainville is located in Hampden County
- Sandy Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hill
- Sandy Hill is located in Hampden County
- Trainfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trainfield
- Trainfield is located in Hampden County
How Far From Rock Valley 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 Rock Valley to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rock Valley and extending to:
- Springfield, which is the Seat of Hampden County, lies just to the Southeast.
- Boston, which is the State Capital of Massachusetts, lies 83 miles [133.6 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Rock Valley to Boston, with an average speed<3>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.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 322 miles [518.2 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,578 miles [8,976.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,288 miles [10,119.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,164 miles [6,701.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rock Valley. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rock Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rock Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1940, Longitude: -72.6759 In this case, the coordinates for Rock Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Rock Valley to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 304.97 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 300.662 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 301.382 degrees. |