Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Backus, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Backus and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Backus
- 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 Backus:
- 41.802285, -78.563912
- 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 Backus
- 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 McKean County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for McKean County
- Since Backus is near Elk County and also Cattaraugus County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Elk County
- eBird sighting report for Cattaraugus 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 Backus ...
We found three communities that share the name Backus.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Backus is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another three communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Minnesota
- New York
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Backus ...
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.
- Allen
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Big Shanty
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Shanty have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Shanty
- Big Shanty is located in McKean County
- Cyclone
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Farmers Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmers Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Valley
- Farmers Valley is located in McKean County
- Freeman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Howard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest) - Irishtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Lewis Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis Run
- Lewis Run is located in McKean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewis Run <3>
- Marvindale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marvindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvindale
- Marvindale is located in McKean County
- Tallyho
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallyho
- Tallyho is located in McKean County
- Wolf Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
How Far From Backus 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 community such as Backus to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Backus and extending to:
- Smethport, which is the Seat of McKean County, lies just to the East.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 136 miles [218.9 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Backus to Harrisburg, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 8 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 216 miles [347.6 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 13 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,836 miles [9,392.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,557 miles [10,552.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,432 miles [7,132.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Backus. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 from Point A (ie- Backus) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Backus. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8023, Longitude: -78.5639 In this case, the coordinates for Backus have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 Backus to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 308.614 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.711 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.249 degrees. |