Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Owanka, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Owanka and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Owanka
- 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 Owanka:
- 44.021876, -102.587512
- 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 Owanka
- 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 Pennington County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Pennington County
- Since Owanka is near Meade County and also Custer County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Meade County
- eBird sighting report for Custer 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 Owanka ...
We found one communities that share the name Owanka.
Within South Dakota, the name Owanka is unique.
Beyond South Dakota, there is another community also named Owanka in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Curious and Interesting Names Near Owanka ...
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.
- Box Elder
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Box Elder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Box Elder
- Box Elder is located in Pennington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,564 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Box Elder <3>
- Elm Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Springs
- Elm Springs is located in Meade County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 28 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Springs <3>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Elm Springs
- From Owanka to Elm Springs
- Green Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Green Valley is located in Pennington County
- Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
- Haydraw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north) - Murphy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west) - Rapid Valley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapid Valley
- Rapid Valley is located in Pennington County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 8,260 people
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Rapid Valley
- From Owanka to Rapid Valley
- Red Shirt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest) - Scenic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scenic
- Scenic is located in Pennington County
- Estimated population in 2014: 60 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scenic <3>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Scenic
- From Owanka to Scenic
- Wicksville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wicksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wicksville
- Wicksville is located in Pennington County
How Far From Owanka 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 Owanka to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Owanka and extending to:
- Rapid City, which is the Seat of Pennington County, lies 31 miles [49.9 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Owanka to Rapid City, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Pierre, which is the State Capital of South Dakota, lies 114 miles [183.5 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,362 miles [2,191.9 km] to the east (E). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 54 days and walking would take 78 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,559 miles [10,555.7 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 7,323 miles [11,785.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,265 miles [8,473.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Owanka. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Pennington County: www.co.pennington.sd.us/
The official website for State of South Dakota: https://www.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Owanka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Owanka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.0219, Longitude: -102.5875 |
| <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 Owanka 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 325.044 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 323.781 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 316.036 degrees. |