Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

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

• 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 Big Rapids:
  • 43.703911, -85.486434
  • 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 Big Rapids

• 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 Mecosta County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Mecosta County
  • Since Big Rapids is near Newaygo County and also Osceola County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Newaygo County
  • eBird sighting report for Osceola 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 Big Rapids ...

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.

• Big Prairie
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Prairie
  • Big Prairie is located in Newaygo County
• Canadian Lakes
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadian Lakes
  • Canadian Lakes is located in Mecosta County
• Chase
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
  • Chase is located in Lake County
  • Former names for Chase:
  • Green Dell
  • Grendale
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chase <2>
• Halls Corner
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Corner
  • Halls Corner is located in Mecosta County
• Hersey
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
  • Hersey is located in Osceola County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <2>
• Oxbow
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxbow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
  • Oxbow is located in Newaygo County
• Paris
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
  • Paris is located in Mecosta County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paris <2>
• Reed City
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed City
  • Reed City is located in Osceola County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,374 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reed City <2>
• Rustford
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rustford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
  • Rustford is located in Mecosta County

How Far From Big Rapids 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 city such as Big Rapids to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

• Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 81 miles [130.4 km]<3> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Big Rapids to Lansing, with an average speed<4>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 549 miles [883.5 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 22 days and walking would take 32 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,016 miles [9,681.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,756 miles [10,872.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,641 miles [7,469 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Big Rapids: www.ci.big-rapids.mi.us/

The official website for Mecosta County: www.co.mecosta.mi.us/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/