Help Preserve Access to King Mountain!

Submit comments to the Forest Service by January 19, 2019 to help preserve access to the King Mountain flying site.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho, which includes the King Mountain flying site, is revising its forest management plan. The new plan will recommend that certain areas be designated as wilderness and will guide resource management for the next 15 years.

King Mountain, a H4/P4 site, is located within the wilderness evaluation area. If the mountain were to be designated as a wilderness area, roads to launch would be closed and launching would be prohibited, likely ending pilots' access to the site.

We ask that as many members as possible submit a comment to the Forest Service emphasizing the value of King Mountain as a flying site for hang gliders and paragliders. This includes road access to King Mountain launch and the airspace above the surrounding areas, including the Lost River and the Lemhi Range.

Comments were originally accepted until January 31, 2019, but now are being requested by Saturday, January 19, 2019. Please submit a comment as soon as you can!

Submit a Comment

Deadline: January 19, 2019
Comments will still be accepted after the end of the designated comment period, but may not be given full consideration.

Submit a comment: http://bit.ly/SCNFFPRCommentTool (fill out a submission form) or http://bit.ly/SCNFWildernessStoryMap (select an area on the map and submit a comment corresponding to that area--more complicated)
You may also email [email protected] with your comments.

Important points to consider mentioning in your comments:

  • King Mountain is a historic hang gliding site that has been in consistent use since the sport’s inception. It hosted the national championships for many years and continues to draw pilots from all over the world.
  • Maintaining access to launch is critical. The Forest Service constructed and maintains the current road to launch, so they already recognize the site’s importance to hang gliding and paragliding.
  • Hang gliding has created a significant positive economic impact to Butte County, one of the poorest counties in Idaho. The local community embraces hang gliding and sees an increase in business due to pilot visitors who visit the area each year.

More information

If you have any questions, please contact John Kangas, the developer of the King Mountain Glider Park, at (208) 407-7174.