Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Beacon, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Beacon and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Beacon
- 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 Beacon:
- 46.509948, -87.986151
- 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 Beacon
- 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 Marquette County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marquette County
- Since Beacon is near Baraga County and also Dickinson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Baraga County
- eBird sighting report for Dickinson 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 Beacon ...
We found five communities that share the name Beacon.
Within Michigan, the name Beacon is unique.
Beyond Michigan, we know of another five communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Iowa
- New York
- Tennessee
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Beacon ...
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.
- Champion
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champion
- Champion is located in Marquette County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Champion <2>
- Greenwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Greenwood is located in Marquette County
- Humboldt
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt
- Humboldt is located in Marquette County
- Humboldt Mine
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Humboldt Mine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt Mine
- Humboldt Mine is located in Marquette County
- Imperial Heights
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Imperial Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imperial Heights
- Imperial Heights is located in Baraga County
- Martins Landing
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martins Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martins Landing
- Martins Landing is located in Marquette County
- Republic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Republic
- Republic is located in Marquette County
- Snowville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Three Lakes
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Lakes
- Three Lakes is located in Baraga County
How Far From Beacon 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 Beacon to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Beacon and extending to:
- Marquette, which is the Seat of Marquette County, lies 27 miles [43.5 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Beacon to Marquette, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 310 miles [498.9 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 18 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 763 miles [1,227.9 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 30 days and walking would take 44 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,970 miles [9,607.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,721 miles [10,816.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,622 miles [7,438.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Beacon. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Marquette County: www.co.marquette.mi.us/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 from Point A (ie- Beacon) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Beacon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.5099, Longitude: -87.9862 |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 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 Beacon 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 314.561 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.139 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.294 degrees. |