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:
  • 46.888389, -122.688826
  • 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.
  • Open 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 Thurston County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Thurston County
  • Since Rainier is near Pierce County and also Lewis County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Pierce County
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Lewis 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:
  • Open the Waymark.com report for Rainier

Communities Also Named Rainier ...

We found two communities that are also named Rainier.

Within Washington, the name Rainier is unique.

Beyond Washington, we know of two communities that are located 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 539 miles [867.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Rainier that is located in Thurston County.
  • Oregon
    • Columbia County
    • This Rainier is located in Columbia County and lies 56 miles [90.1 km]<1> to the south southwest of the Rainier that is located in Thurston County.
    • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbia County community of Rainier.

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.

• Chain Hill
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Chain Hill is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chain Hill
• Fir Tree
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fir Tree is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fir Tree
• Five Corners
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Five Corners is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
• Four Corners
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Four Corners is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
• Kellys Korner
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
  • Google driving directions:
  • From your current location to Kellys Korner
  • From Rainier to Kellys Korner
• Mock City
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Mock City is located in Pierce County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mock City
• Plumb
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Plumb is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb
• Vail
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Vail is located in Thurston County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vail

How Far From Rainier 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 town 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:

• Olympia, which is the Seat of Thurston County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Rainier to Olympia, with an average speed<2> 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.
• Olympia, which is the State Capital of Washington, lies 14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest (NW). The buggy would take four to five hours and walking would take most of a day.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,339 miles [3,764.3 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take 5 days, a buggy would take 92 days and walking would take 133 days.
• The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,825 miles [10,983.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<4>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,587 miles [12,210.1 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,710 miles [9,189.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>'