Dog Mountain
This is a 3000' hike and fly with a landing near Grant Lake that can
be turbulent, giving collapses near the ground, especially on west wind
days. This photo shows Phil Pohl gliding off the summit.
Parking area at the trailhead requires a pass which can be purchased at the Home Valley Store, west of Dog Mtn. Or you can park your ride up a dirt road that is just west of the clearing at Grant Lake and then hike a bit further to the trail. The best conditions can be expected when winds are light west or light and variable. East winds can produce turbulence over the west facing launch. It is a long hike and conditions on the river may not stay the same for as long as it takes to hike up. Whitecaps on the river usually indicate that there will be turbulence in the landing zone caused by the trees interrupting the flow.
Summit view taken by Pete Reagan Oct. 4, 2005 on a light thermal day
Landing area at Grant Lake. Put a wind indicator where you intend to land. Turbulence is present when the wind is more than 10 MPH. Pilots have been dropped when only 10 to 20 feet over the surface. A parking area is located at the top of the clearing near the highway.
On a flight from across the river, Mt. Defiance, Reed was dropped into the lake as he approached the landing area just west of the lake. On another flight, I was dropped from 20 feet just after passing over the lake and was over the ground. Turbulence is a factor so I guess you should come in as fast as possible, or don't land there on days when the wind is 12-15 from the west. You can see in the photo that a line of trees creates a pocket lower than the wind would normally travel. If you are flying faster than the reversing turbulence you could make a safe landing, as many have done.
A spot out near the river might have less turbulence, especially if the wind is strong but access is limited by fences and fishing camps.
Submitted by Ancil Nance Revised 5/12/09
Other pilots to talk to about this site:
Pete Reagan
Steve Forslund
Steve Roti