Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gretna
- 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 Gretna:
- 45.450535, -99.514840
- 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 Gretna
- 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 Edmunds County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Edmunds County
- Since Gretna is near McPherson County and also Faulk County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for McPherson County
- eBird sighting report for Faulk 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 Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Gretna.
Within South Dakota, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond South Dakota, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 262 miles [421.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Gretna that is located in Edmunds County.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 1,103 miles [1,775.1 km]<1> to the east of the Gretna that is located in Edmunds County.
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gretna ...
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.
- Craven
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craven
- Craven is located in Edmunds County
- Craven Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craven Corner
- Craven Corner is located in Edmunds County
- Eureka
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Eureka is located in McPherson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <2>
- Hillsview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north) - Hoven
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoven
- Hoven is located in Potter County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoven <2>
- Java
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Java
- Java is located in Walworth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Java <2>
How Far From Gretna 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 community such as Gretna to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gretna and extending to:
- Ipswich, which is the Seat of Edmunds County, lies 23 miles [37 km]<1> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Gretna to Ipswich, 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 most of a day.
- Pierre, which is the State Capital of South Dakota, lies 84 miles [135.2 km] to the south southwest (SSW). 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 1,230 miles [1,979.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 48 days and walking would take 70 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,390 miles [10,283.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,153 miles [11,511.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,089 miles [8,190 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gretna. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gretna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.4505, Longitude: -99.5148 In this case, the coordinates for Gretna have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Gretna 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 322.82 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 321.389 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 314.017 degrees. |