Outdoor Activities ...

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

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

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

• 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 Smithson Valley:
  • 29.812998, -98.337237
  • 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 Smithson Valley

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

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.

• Buffalo Springs
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Springs
  • Buffalo Springs is located in Comal County
• Cranes Mill
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cranes Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranes Mill
  • Cranes Mill is located in Comal County
• Fourth Crossing
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fourth Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fourth Crossing
  • Fourth Crossing is located in Comal County
• Honey Creek
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
  • Honey Creek is located in Comal County
• Second Crossing
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Second Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Second Crossing
  • Second Crossing is located in Comal County
• Spring Branch
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Branch
  • Spring Branch is located in Comal County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Branch <2>
• Startzville
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Startzville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Startzville
  • Startzville is located in Comal County
• Third Crossing
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Third Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Third Crossing
  • Third Crossing is located in Comal County

How Far From Smithson Valley 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 Smithson Valley to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

• New Braunfels, which is the Seat of Comal County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<3> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Smithson Valley to New Braunfels, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
• Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 47 miles [75.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take about three full days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,361 miles [2,190.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 54 days and walking would take 78 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,200 miles [11,587.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,930 miles [12,762.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,807 miles [9,345.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Comal County: www.co.comal.tx.us/

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