Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Pickens, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Pickens and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Pickens
- 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 Pickens:
- 38.655191, -80.211571
- 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 Pickens
- 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 Randolph County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Randolph County
- Since Pickens is near Webster County and also Upshur County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Webster County
- eBird sighting report for Upshur 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 Pickens ...
We found six communities that share the name Pickens.
Within West Virginia, the name Pickens is unique.
Beyond West Virginia, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Desha County
- This Pickens is located in Desha County and lies 709 miles [1,141 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Pickens that is located in Randolph County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Desha County community of Pickens.
- White County
- This Pickens is located in White County and lies 681 miles [1,096 km] to the west southwest of the Pickens that is located in Randolph County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the White County community of Pickens.
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Arkansas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Pickens ...
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.
- Blue Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Chemical ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Czar
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Eden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Florence ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the south) - Hacker Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hacker Valley
- Hacker Valley is located in Webster County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hacker Valley <3>
- Hemlock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - Palace Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palace Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palace Valley
- Palace Valley is located in Upshur County
- Silica
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Zion
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
How Far From Pickens 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 community such as Pickens to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Pickens and extending to:
- Elkins, which is the Seat of Randolph County, lies 26 miles [41.8 km]<1> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Pickens to Elkins, 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 just over a day.
- Charleston, which is the State Capital of West Virginia, lies 79 miles [127.1 km] to the west southwest (WSW). 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 171 miles [275.2 km] to the east (E). Driving would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,041 miles [9,722 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,753 miles [10,867.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,628 miles [7,448 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Pickens. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.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- Pickens) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pickens. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6552, Longitude: -80.2116 |
| <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 Pickens 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 309.794 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.569 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.151 degrees. |