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:
- 47.323264, -114.462067
- 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 county-by-county basis. We have selected Sanders County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Sanders County
- Since McDonald is near Lake County and also Missoula County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lake County
- eBird sighting report for Missoula 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 McDonald ...
We found 34 communities that share the name McDonald.
There is one other community in Montana which is also named McDonald.
Beyond Montana, we know of another 33 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 33 communities, 33 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Montana ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Cross County
- This McDonald is located in Cross County and lies 1,481 miles [2,383.4 km]<1> to the east southeast of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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.<2> 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 1,852 miles [2,980.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of McDonald [Thomas County].
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Manitoba
- This McDonald lies 817 miles [1,314.8 km]<1> to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Covington County
- This McDonald is located in Covington County and lies 1,700 miles [2,735.9 km]<1> to the east southeast of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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 1,666 miles [2,681.2 km] to the east southeast of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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 county.
- 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.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of McDonald [Carter County].
- 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 county.
- 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 1,696 miles [2,729.4 km]<1> to the east of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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 1,707 miles [2,747.2 km] to the east of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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 223 miles [358.9 km]<1> to the west of the McDonald that is located in Sanders County.
- 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.<2> 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.
- Cedar Mouth ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Mouth have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Mouth
- Cedar Mouth is located in Mineral County
- Island City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
- Island City is located in Sanders County
- Kicking Horse
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kicking Horse have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kicking Horse
- Kicking Horse is located in Lake County
- Old Agency
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Agency have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Agency
- Old Agency is located in Sanders County
- Oliverville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oliverville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliverville
- Oliverville is located in Mineral County
- Paradise
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Paradise is located in Sanders County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paradise <5>
- Plains
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains
- Plains is located in Sanders County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,139 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plains <5>
- Post Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Post Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Creek
- Post Creek is located in Lake County
- Riverbend
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest) - Round Butte
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Butte
- Round Butte is located in Lake County
- Six Mile ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south) - Stark
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south) - Stovepipe ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south) - Superior
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
- Superior is located in Mineral County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Superior <5>
How Far From McDonald 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 McDonald to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in McDonald and extending to:
- Thompson Falls, which is the Seat of Sanders County, lies 45 miles [72.4 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from McDonald to Thompson Falls, with an average speed<7> 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 most of two days.
- Helena, which is the State Capital of Montana, lies 125 miles [201.2 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 8 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,953 miles [3,143 km] to the east (E). Driving would take three full days, a buggy would take 77 days and walking would take 111 days.
- The shortest distance<8> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,651 miles [10,703.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<9>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,420 miles [11,941.3 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<10>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,466 miles [8,796.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<11>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for McDonald. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Sanders County: www.co.sanders.mt.us/
The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.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 obstructions 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: 47.3233, Longitude: -114.4621 In this case, the coordinates for McDonald have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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 Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek 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 county. 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. |
| <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> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 334.433 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 334.952 degrees. |
| <11> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 322.708 degrees. |