Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Castle Rock, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Castle Rock and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Castle Rock
- 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 Castle Rock:
- 44.543854, -93.152438
- 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 Castle Rock
- 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 Dakota County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Dakota County
- Since Castle Rock is near Rice County and also Scott County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Rice County
- eBird sighting report for Scott 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 Castle Rock ...
We found fifteen communities that share the name Castle Rock.
Within Minnesota, the name Castle Rock is unique.
Beyond Minnesota, we know of another fifteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these fifteen communities, fourteen are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- British Columbia
- This Castle Rock lies 1,437 miles [2,312.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- Colorado
- Douglas County
- This Castle Rock is located in Douglas County and lies 697 miles [1,121.7 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Douglas County community of Castle Rock.
- Georgia
- Dade 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 Georgia community of Castle Rock [Dade County].
- Kansas
- Gove 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 Kansas community of Castle Rock [Gove County].
- Trego County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Castle Rock [Trego County].
- Missouri
- Jasper 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 Missouri community of Castle Rock [Jasper County].
- Osage County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of Castle Rock [Osage County].
- Montana
- Rosebud County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Montana community of Castle Rock [Rosebud County].
- Nevada
- Lander County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Lander County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lander County community of Castle Rock.
- Oregon
- Morrow 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 Oregon community of Castle Rock [Morrow County].
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware County
- This Castle Rock is located in Delaware County and lies 956 miles [1,538.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Delaware County community of Castle Rock.
- South Dakota
- Butte County
- This Castle Rock is located in Butte County and lies 504 miles [811.1 km]<1> to the west of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butte County community of Castle Rock.
- Utah
- Summit County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Utah community of Castle Rock [Summit County].
- Virginia
- Roanoke County
- This Castle Rock is located in Roanoke County and lies 848 miles [1,364.7 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Roanoke County community of Castle Rock.
- Washington
- Cowlitz County
- This Castle Rock is located in Cowlitz County and lies 1,438 miles [2,314.2 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Castle Rock that is located in Dakota County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cowlitz County community of Castle Rock.
- British Columbia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Castle Rock ...
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.
- Antlers Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antlers Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antlers Park
- Antlers Park is located in Dakota County
- Apple Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Valley
- Apple Valley is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,847 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apple Valley <5>
- Cannon Falls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Falls
- Cannon Falls is located in Goodhue County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,022 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cannon Falls <5>
- Cedar Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- Cedar Lake is located in Scott County
- Credit River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Credit River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
- Credit River is located in Scott County
- Deer Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest) - Empire
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Eureka Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Center
- Eureka Center is located in Dakota County
- Lakeville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
- Lakeville is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69,583 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeville <5>
- Little Chicago
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Chicago have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Chicago
- Little Chicago is located in Rice County
- Orchard Garden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Garden
- Orchard Garden is located in Dakota County
- Randolph
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Randolph is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Rich Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Valley
- Rich Valley is located in Dakota County
How Far From Castle Rock 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 Castle Rock to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Castle Rock and extending to:
- Hastings, which is the Seat of Dakota County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Castle Rock to Hastings, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 28 miles [45.1 km] to the north (N). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 915 miles [1,472.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 36 days and walking would take 52 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,241 miles [10,043.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,995 miles [11,257.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,901 miles [7,887.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Castle Rock. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Dakota County: www.co.dakota.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.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- Castle Rock) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Castle Rock. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.5439, Longitude: -93.1524 In this case, the coordinates for Castle Rock 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 Castle Rock 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> | 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 Castle Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 Castle Rock 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 318.215 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.009 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.694 degrees. |