Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Balsam, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Balsam and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Balsam
- 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 Balsam:
- 41.703553, -77.348760
- 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 Balsam
- 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 Tioga County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Tioga County
- Since Balsam is near Lycoming County and also Potter County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lycoming County
- eBird sighting report for Potter 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 Balsam ...
We found four communities that share the name Balsam.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Balsam is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these four communities, three are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- Ontario
- This Balsam lies 180 miles [289.7 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Balsam that is located in Tioga County.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Balsam ...
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.
- Cherry Flats
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Flats
- Cherry Flats is located in Tioga County
- Christian Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christian Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian Hill
- Christian Hill is located in Tioga County
- Heise Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Kennedy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Maple Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
- Maple Hill is located in Tioga County
- Marsh Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marsh Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Creek
- Marsh Creek is located in Tioga County
- Mount Pleasant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Tioga County
- Plank
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Roundtop
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Stokesdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stokesdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesdale
- Stokesdale is located in Tioga County
- Stony Fork
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stony Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Stony Fork is located in Tioga County
- Three Springs Run
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Springs Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Springs Run
- Three Springs Run is located in Tioga County
- Thumptown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
How Far From Balsam 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 Balsam to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Balsam and extending to:
- Wellsboro, which is the Seat of Tioga County, lies just to the Northeast.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 101 miles [162.5 km]<1> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could drive a straight line from Balsam to Harrisburg, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 6 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 194 miles [312.2 km] to the south (S). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,791 miles [9,319.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,509 miles [10,475.2 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,384 miles [7,055.4 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Balsam. 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Balsam) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Balsam. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.7036, Longitude: -77.3488 In this case, the coordinates for Balsam 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 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. |
| <4> | 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 Balsam to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.87 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.854 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.729 degrees. |