Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gravel Switch, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gravel Switch and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gravel Switch
- 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 Gravel Switch:
- 37.578793, -85.052063
- 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 Gravel Switch
- 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 Marion County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marion County
- Since Gravel Switch is near Boyle County and also Washington County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Boyle County
- eBird sighting report for Washington 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gravel Switch ...
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.
- Butchertown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Butchertown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butchertown
- Butchertown is located in Casey County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Butchertown
- From Gravel Switch to Butchertown
- Craintown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Craintown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craintown
- Craintown is located in Boyle County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Craintown
- From Gravel Switch to Craintown
- Deep Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Creek
- Deep Creek is located in Mercer County
- Forkland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forkland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkland
- Forkland is located in Boyle County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Forkland
- From Gravel Switch to Forkland
- Jacktown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Jenkinsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jenkinsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenkinsville
- Jenkinsville is located in Washington County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Jenkinsville
- From Gravel Switch to Jenkinsville
- Jimtown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Mackville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackville
- Mackville is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Mackville
- From Gravel Switch to Mackville
- Needmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Parksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parksville
- Parksville is located in Boyle County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parksville <3>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Parksville
- From Gravel Switch to Parksville
- Peck Ford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Poplar Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Poplar Corner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Corner
- Poplar Corner is located in Marion County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Poplar Corner
- From Gravel Switch to Poplar Corner
- Pottsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
- Pottsville is located in Washington County
- Texas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
How Far From Gravel Switch 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 Gravel Switch to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<4> beginning in Gravel Switch and extending to:
- Lebanon, which is the Seat of Marion County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Gravel Switch to Lebanon, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Frankfort, which is the State Capital of Kentucky, lies 43 miles [69.2 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take about three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 443 miles [712.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 18 days and walking would take 26 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,288 miles [10,119.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,007 miles [11,276.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,882 miles [7,856.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gravel Switch. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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. |
| <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> | 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- Gravel Switch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gravel Switch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5788, Longitude: -85.0521 |
| <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 Gravel Switch 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 312.761 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.804 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 308.577 degrees. |