Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Luray, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Luray and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Luray
- 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 Luray:
- 41.992952, -92.999804
- 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 Luray
- 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 Marshall County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marshall County
- Since Luray is near Jasper County and also Tama County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Jasper County
- eBird sighting report for Tama 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 Luray ...
We found eight communities that share the name Luray.
Within Iowa, the name Luray is unique.
Beyond Iowa, we know of another eight communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Ohio
- Fayette County
- This Luray is located in Fayette County and lies 522 miles [840.1 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Luray that is located in Marshall County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of Luray.
- Licking County
- This Luray is located in Licking County and lies 563 miles [906.1 km] to the east of the Luray that is located in Marshall County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Licking County community of Luray.
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Luray ...
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.
- Clyde
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clyde. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Clyde is located in Jasper County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Clyde
- From Luray to Clyde
- Edenville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Green Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mountain
- Green Mountain is located in Marshall County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Green Mountain
- From Luray to Green Mountain
- Illinois Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Illinois Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois Grove
- Illinois Grove is located in Marshall County
- Malta
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Marshalltown
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshalltown
- Marshalltown is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,736 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marshalltown <4>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Marshalltown
- From Luray to Marshalltown
- Melbourne
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
- Melbourne is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melbourne <4>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Melbourne
- From Luray to Melbourne
- Minerva
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Potter
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east) - Quarry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east) - Rushville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south) - Union
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
How Far From Luray 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 Luray to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Luray and extending to:
- Marshalltown, which is the Seat of Marshall County, lies just to the Northeast.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 41 miles [66 km]<1> to the southwest (SW). If you could walk a straight line from Luray to Des Moines, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take about three full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 864 miles [1,390.5 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 34 days and walking would take 49 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,367 miles [10,246.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,116 miles [11,452.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,011 miles [8,064.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Luray. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Marshall County: www.co.marshall.ia.us/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Luray) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Luray. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9930, Longitude: -92.9998 In this case, the coordinates for Luray have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Luray to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.069 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.502 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.247 degrees. |