Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rainier, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rainier and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rainier
- 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 Rainier:
- 46.092413, -122.947020
- 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 Rainier
- 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 Columbia County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Columbia County
- Since Rainier is near Cowlitz County and also Wahkiakum County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Cowlitz County
- eBird sighting report for Wahkiakum 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 Rainier ...
We found two communities that share the name Rainier.
Within Oregon, the name Rainier is unique.
Beyond Oregon, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these two communities, one is located in the United States and the other in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alberta
- This Rainier lies 579 miles [931.8 km]<1> to the northeast of the Rainier that is located in Columbia County.
- Washington
- Alberta
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rainier ...
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.
- Apiary ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest) - Beaver Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
- Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County
- Evergreen Terrace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Terrace
- Evergreen Terrace is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Fern Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Longview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 38,515 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longview <3>
- Longview Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
- Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Longview Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Junction
- Longview Junction is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Rocky Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Rocky Point is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Rose Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
- Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
- Trojan
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Rainier to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Rainier to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rainier and extending to:
- Saint Helens, which is the Seat of Columbia County, lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Rainier to Saint Helens, with an average speed<4> 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 five to six hours.
- Salem, which is the State Capital of Oregon, lies 79 miles [127.1 km] to the south (S). 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 2,355 miles [3,790 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 92 days and walking would take 134 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,881 miles [11,073.9 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,643 miles [12,300.2 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,763 miles [9,274.6 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rainier. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Columbia County: www.co.columbia.or.us/
The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rainier) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rainier. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0924, Longitude: -122.9470 In this case, the coordinates for Rainier have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Rainier 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 341.307 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 342.859 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 328.264 degrees. |