Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in McDonald, we use the following websites to find information relevant to McDonald and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for McDonald
- 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 McDonald:
- 30.938803, -92.244294
- 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 McDonald
- 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 parish-by-parish basis. We have selected Avoyelles Parish as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Avoyelles Parish
- Since McDonald is near Rapides Parish and also Evangeline Parish, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Rapides Parish
- eBird sighting report for Evangeline Parish
- 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 McDonald ...
We found 34 communities that share the name McDonald.
Within Louisiana, the name McDonald is unique.
Beyond Louisiana, we know of another 34 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 34 communities, 33 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Cross County
- This McDonald is located in Cross County and lies 313 miles [503.7 km]<2> to the north northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cross County community of McDonald.
- Jackson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of McDonald [Jackson County].
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Clarke County
- This McDonald is located in Clarke County and lies 553 miles [890 km]<2> to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clarke County community of McDonald.
- Thomas County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of McDonald [Thomas County].
- Kansas
- Manitoba
- This McDonald lies 1,344 miles [2,163 km]<2> to the north of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Covington County
- This McDonald is located in Covington County and lies 164 miles [263.9 km]<2> to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Covington County community of McDonald.
- Neshoba County
- This McDonald is located in Neshoba County and lies 217 miles [349.2 km] to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Neshoba County community of McDonald.
- Missouri
- Barry County
- This community is historic<3> and although located in Barry County, we don't know where within the parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Barry County community of McDonald.
- Carter County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of McDonald [Carter County].
- Montana
- Powell County
- This McDonald is located in Powell County and lies 1,532 miles [2,465.5 km]<2> to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Powell County community of McDonald.
- Sanders County
- This McDonald is located in Sanders County and lies 1,630 miles [2,623.2 km] to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanders County community of McDonald.
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Butler County
- This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of McDonald [Butler County].
- Hardin County
- This community is historic and although located in Hardin County, we don't know where within the parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hardin County community of McDonald.
- Muskingum County
- This McDonald is located in Muskingum County and lies 848 miles [1,364.7 km]<2> to the northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muskingum County community of McDonald.
- Trumbull County
- This McDonald is located in Trumbull County and lies 953 miles [1,533.7 km] to the northeast of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Trumbull County community of McDonald.
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Grant County
- This McDonald is located in Grant County and lies 1,810 miles [2,912.9 km]<2> to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Avoyelles Parish.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of McDonald.
- Lewis County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Washington community of McDonald [Lewis County].
- Wyoming
Curious and Interesting Names Near McDonald ...
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.
- Bunkie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkie
- Bunkie is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,826 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunkie <4>
- Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Centerville is located in Evangeline Parish
- Clearwater
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
- Clearwater is located in Evangeline Parish
- Enterprise
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Enterprise is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Evergreen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Evergreen is located in Avoyelles Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evergreen <4>
- Gold Dust
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Lone Pine
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Lyles ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Meridian
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west) - Norma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast) - Oklahoma
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Star ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Witchwood ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
How Far From McDonald 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 McDonald to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of McDonald once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in McDonald and extending to:
- Marksville, which is the Seat of Avoyelles Parish, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<2> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from McDonald to Marksville, with an average speed<7> 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 five to six hours.
- Baton Rouge, which is the State Capital of Louisiana, lies 72 miles [115.9 km] to the east southeast (ESE). 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 4 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,019 miles [1,639.9 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 40 days and walking would take 58 days.
- The shortest distance<8> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,902 miles [11,107.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,617 miles [12,258.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,492 miles [8,838.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<11>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that McDonald could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong parish. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- McDonald) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McDonald. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.9388, Longitude: -92.2443 In this case, the coordinates for McDonald have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about McDonald, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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. |
| <8> | 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 McDonald to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.77 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.533 degrees. |
| <11> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.939 degrees. |