Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Alden, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Alden and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Alden
- 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 Alden:
- 44.881282, -85.274416
- 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 Alden
- 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 Antrim County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Antrim County
- Since Alden is near Kalkaska County and also Grand Traverse County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Kalkaska County
- eBird sighting report for Grand Traverse 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 Alden ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Alden.
Within Michigan, the name Alden is unique.
Beyond Michigan, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, twelve are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- This Alden lies 231 miles [371.8 km]<1> to the north of the Alden that is located in Antrim County.
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Alden ...
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.
- Angel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
- Angel is located in Grand Traverse County
- Angel has also been known as:
- Angel Station
- Angell Station
- Clam Lake ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Clam River
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clam River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam River
- Clam River is located in Antrim County
- Elk Rapids
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Rapids
- Elk Rapids is located in Antrim County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,626 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Rapids <5>
- Mabel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
- Mabel is located in Grand Traverse County
- Rapid City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapid City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapid City
- Rapid City is located in Kalkaska County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rapid City <5>
- Snowflake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north) - Torch River
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Torch River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch River
- Torch River is located in Kalkaska County
How Far From Alden to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Alden to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Alden and extending to:
- Bellaire, which is the Seat of Antrim County, lies just to the North Northeast.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 152 miles [244.6 km]<1> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could drive a straight line from Alden to Lansing, with an average speed<6>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 591 miles [951.1 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 23 days and walking would take 34 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,953 miles [9,580.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,696 miles [10,776.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,584 miles [7,377.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alden. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Antrim County: www.antrimcounty.org/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alden) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alden. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8813, Longitude: -85.2744 |
| <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 Alden, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Alden to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 312.779 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.887 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.405 degrees. |