Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

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

• 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 Balcones Heights:
  • 29.487574, -98.55168
  • 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 Balcones Heights

• 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 Bexar County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Bexar County
  • Since Balcones Heights is near Comal County and also Medina County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Comal County
  • eBird sighting report for Medina 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 Balcones Heights ...

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.

• China Grove
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for China Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China Grove
  • China Grove is located in Bexar County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,314 people
• Cross Mountain
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Mountain
  • Cross Mountain is located in Bexar County
• Dominion
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dominion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dominion
  • Dominion is located in Bexar County
• Grey Forest
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grey Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grey Forest
  • Grey Forest is located in Bexar County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 575 people
• Kirby
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirby
  • Kirby is located in Bexar County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,719 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirby <2>
• Leon Springs
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon Springs
  • Leon Springs is located in Bexar County
  • Google driving directions:
  • From your current location to Leon Springs
  • From Balcones Heights to Leon Springs
• Leon Valley
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon Valley
  • Leon Valley is located in Bexar County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,301 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leon Valley <2>
• Live Oak
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Live Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Live Oak
  • Live Oak is located in Bexar County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,661 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Live Oak <2>
• Longhorn
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longhorn
  • Longhorn is located in Bexar County
• Martinez
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinez
  • Martinez is located in Bexar County
  • Google driving directions:
  • From your current location to Martinez
  • From Balcones Heights to Martinez
• Shorts Corner
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shorts Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Corner
  • Shorts Corner is located in Bexar County
• Valley Hi
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Hi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Hi
  • Valley Hi is located in Bexar County

How Far From Balcones Heights to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Balcones Heights to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

• San Antonio, which is the Seat of Bexar County, lies just to the Southeast.
• Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 72 miles [115.9 km]<3> to the northeast (NE). If you could drive a straight line from Balcones Heights to Austin, with an average speed<4>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 4 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,385 miles [2,228.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 55 days and walking would take 79 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,225 miles [11,627.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,955 miles [12,802.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,832 miles [9,385.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Balcones Heights. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Bexar County: www.co.bexar.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/