Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in West Portal, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West Portal and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for West Portal
- 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 West Portal:
- 40.161067, -111.250451
- 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 West Portal
- 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 Utah County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Utah County
- Since West Portal is near Wasatch County and also Duchesne County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Wasatch County
- eBird sighting report for Duchesne 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 West Portal ...
We found two communities that share the name West Portal.
Within Utah, the name West Portal is unique.
Beyond Utah, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- San Francisco County
- This West Portal is located in San Francisco County and lies 624 miles [1,004.2 km]<1> to the west of the West Portal that is located in Utah County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Francisco County community of West Portal.
- New Jersey
- Hunterdon County
- This West Portal is located in Hunterdon County and lies 1,890 miles [3,041.7 km]<1> to the east northeast of the West Portal that is located in Utah County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hunterdon County community of West Portal.
- California
Curious and Interesting Names Near West Portal ...
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.
- Covered Bridge Canyon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covered Bridge Canyon
- Covered Bridge Canyon is located in Utah County
- Mill Fork ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south) - Patrick Place
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patrick Place have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick Place
- Patrick Place is located in Utah County
- Sky View
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south) - Soldier Summit ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldier Summit
- Soldier Summit is located in Wasatch County
- Thistle ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thistle
- Thistle is located in Utah County
- Three Forks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
- Three Forks is located in Utah County
- Tucker ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
How Far From West Portal 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 West Portal to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in West Portal and extending to:
- Provo, which is the Seat of Utah County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from West Portal to Provo, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
- Salt Lake City, which is the State Capital of Utah, lies 53 miles [85.3 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take over two days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,812 miles [2,916.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 71 days and walking would take 103 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,019 miles [11,296 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,787 miles [12,532 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,758 miles [9,266.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Portal. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Utah County: www.co.utah.ut.us/
The official website for State of Utah: https://www.utah.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Portal) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Portal. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1611, Longitude: -111.2505 In this case, the coordinates for West Portal have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 West Portal 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 331.363 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 330.771 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 321.441 degrees. |