Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

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

• 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 Beech Mountain:
  • 36.210754, -81.888373
  • 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 Beech Mountain

• 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 Beech Mountain is near Watauga County and also Carter County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Watauga County
  • eBird sighting report for Carter 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 Beech Mountain ...

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
  (3 miles [4.8 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
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • 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
• Dark Ridge ‑ Historic
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • 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 southwest)
  • 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 southwest)
  • 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
• Farmer Mill
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmer Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmer Mill
  • Farmer Mill is located in Carter County (TN)
• Flat Springs
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Springs
  • Flat Springs is located in Avery County
• Heaton
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • 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
• Seven Devils
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • 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 Grove
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
  • Sugar Grove is located in Watauga County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugar Grove <2>
• Sugar Mountain
  (5 miles [8 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
• Sweetwater
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
  • Sweetwater is located in Watauga County
• Valley Creek
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • 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 Beech Mountain to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a town such as Beech Mountain to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Beech Mountain 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 183 miles [294.5 km]<3> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Beech Mountain 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 323 miles [519.8 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 6,220 miles [10,010.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,926 miles [11,146.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,803 miles [7,729.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Beech Mountain: www.townofbeech.com/

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

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