Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Banner Elk, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Banner Elk and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Banner Elk

• 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 Banner Elk:
  • 36.163321, -81.871804
  • 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 Banner Elk

• 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 Avery County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Avery County
  • Since Banner Elk is near Watauga County and also Caldwell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Watauga County
  • eBird sighting report for Caldwell 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 Banner Elk ...

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.

• Battleground
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Battleground have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battleground
  • Battleground is located in Avery County
• Cranberry
  (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry
  • Cranberry is located in Avery County
• Cranberry Gap
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranberry Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Gap
  • Cranberry Gap is located in Avery County
• Dark Ridge ‑ Historic
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dark Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dark Ridge
  • Dark Ridge is located in Avery County
• Elk Park
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Park
  • Elk Park is located in Avery County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Park <2>
• Elk Valley
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Valley
  • Elk Valley is located in Avery County
• Grandfather
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
  • Grandfather is located in Avery County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
• Heaton
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heaton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heaton
  • Heaton is located in Avery County
• Hemlock Ridge
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hemlock Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ridge
  • Hemlock Ridge is located in Watauga County
• Montezuma
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montezuma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
  • Montezuma is located in Avery County
• Newland
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
  • Newland is located in Avery County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 694 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newland <2>
• Seven Devils
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Devils have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Devils
  • Seven Devils is located in Avery County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seven Devils <2>
• Sugar Mountain
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
  • Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
• Valley Creek
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Creek
  • Valley Creek is located in Watauga County

How Far From Banner Elk 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 town such as Banner Elk to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Banner Elk and extending to:

• Newland, which is the Seat of Avery County, lies just to the South Southwest.
• Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 182 miles [292.9 km]<3> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Banner Elk to Raleigh, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take a little over three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 11 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 8 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 325 miles [523 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,222 miles [10,013.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,928 miles [11,149.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,805 miles [7,732.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Banner Elk: www.townofbannerelk.org/

The official website for Avery County: www.averyco.com/gov/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/