Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

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

• 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 Vails Gate:
  • 41.454260, -74.057642
  • 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 Vails Gate

• 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 Orange County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Orange County
  • Since Vails Gate is near Greene County and also Ulster County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Greene County
  • eBird sighting report for Ulster 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 Vails Gate ...

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.

• Cold Spring
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
  • Cold Spring is located in Putnam County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,944 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cold Spring <1>
• Cornwall Landing
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
  • Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
• Cornwall-on-Hudson
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornwall-on-Hudson came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall-on-Hudson
  • Cornwall-on-Hudson is located in Greene County
• Dutchess Junction
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dutchess Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Junction
  • Dutchess Junction is located in Dutchess County
• Firthcliffe
  (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Firthcliffe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firthcliffe
  • Firthcliffe is located in Orange County
• Little Britain
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Britain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Britain
  • Little Britain is located in Orange County
• Meadow Winds
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Winds have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Winds
  • Meadow Winds is located in Orange County
• Meadowbrook
  (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
  • Meadowbrook is located in Orange County
• Mountainville
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainville
  • Mountainville is located in Orange County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountainville <1>
• Salisbury Mills
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salisbury Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury Mills
  • Salisbury Mills is located in Orange County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salisbury Mills <1>
• Vails Gate Junction
  (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vails Gate Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vails Gate Junction
  • Vails Gate Junction is located in Orange County

How Far From Vails Gate 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 Vails Gate to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<4> beginning in Vails Gate and extending to:

• Goshen, which is the Seat of Orange County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<4> to the west southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Vails Gate to Goshen, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
• Albany, which is the State Capital of New York, lies 84 miles [135.2 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 236 miles [379.8 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
• The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,666 miles [9,118.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,375 miles [10,259.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,251 miles [6,841.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Vails Gate. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Orange County: www.co.orange.ny.us/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/