Contest Routes & Turnpoints

Route Descriptions, GPS Turnpoint List, Landing Zone Coordinates

RADIOS

You need to have your radio gear in good condition, with a properly tuned antenna (both yours and your driver’s). Your radio is your primary/only link to your driver. There will be times, especially on Route 2, when you’re up to 80 miles away from your driver, with mountains in between [so no radio contact!] If you think that you may be landing, be sure to radio your chase crew and let them know your intentions while you are still in the air.  At least contact someone still in the air if you can so they can pass on the information. Once you land, the mountainous terrain can make radio contact difficult.

What GPS Unit to Buy?

The GPS market is changing and getting better every year! There are numerous products available that combine multiple flying instruments and GPS into one unit and make flying a course or contest easier than ever. I should say, once you learn how to use it and upload software and turnpoints.
Rather than try and list all the products in a section that will be outdated faster than I can type it, I suggest that you use the internet and your pilot friends for information on what they like to use.
Me, I use the Naviter OUDIE, and have for the past 3 years. I love the Naviter Software, both the See You Mobile and See You Desktop for flight planning and review, but everyone has their own favorite.
Some units are easier to view with the sun shining on the screen, others are impossible to view while wearing polarized sun glasses.
Do your own research on each product before you buy. I haven’t found the perfect product yet, of course, my budget does restrict my choices.

Important Weather Information

John Kangas, the volunteer weather guru for the King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships, has created a very important and informative page about the local weather on his website. This is important reading, and should be reviewed prior to flying at King Mountain. Flown here before? You should still review the weather information to remind you about how dynamic the local weather can be. Link to: King Mountain Glider Park – Weather

MAPS – Yes, You Still Need Them!

With cheap GPS units available everywhere, you may think that you can do away with paper maps.  WRONG!  Sit around the campfire at any event and you can hear the stories of where the GPS tried to take you, or the ones where the gate was locked, the bridge was out, or worse. If you expect your phone or tablet GPS to work – it probably won’t.  Most of them depend on phone wireless or internet to download maps as you use them.  This is back-country and the map that works is the one you have downloaded or in paper form. All the Contest GPS Coordinates are listed here for you to read, you can print this page, however, you can download all 3 lists, as well as the Contest Rules by visiting the page link below.  Download and print 2 copies. One for you, one for the driver.

What Maps Should I Get?

You should make sure that your driver’s vehicle has a set of Delorme’s Atlas & Gazetteers for Idaho and Montana. Delorme also makes a very good highway map that we recommend.

Spend some time with high-lighters and colored pens to add notes and other info to the maps that will help your driver. You may want to copy some of the pages so that you can carry them with you. Once on the ground, they will be helpful when talking to your chase on the radio.

It’s much easier to communicate when you’re both looking at the same map. Some folks buy a second gazetteer and cut out pages to carry while flying.  Be sure to have a GPS unit in the chase vehicle.  Mobile GPS units are not perfect, so the best plan is to have BOTH, a GPS unit and Delorme Maps, so that the driver can find you and not get lost.  The one thing a GPS is good for is giving you your current location.

If you do use a laptop or tablet, be sure that the Mapping Software does not require the internet or wireless signal.  The Idaho and Montana area that you will be driving and flying in is far from the modern wireless / wired world.

# Turnpoint Location Comments GPS Coordinates Elevation
1 ANTELOPE
AIRPORT		 16.6 miles SW (234*) of King The airport is an east / west grass strip near the middle of the small Antelope Valley. 43 40.559N,
113 36.103W		 6,180
2 ARCO AIRPORT 11.1 miles S (175*) of King The airport is an east / west paved strip on the south side of hwy 20/26 about 2 miles SW of town. 43 36.315N,
113 19.902W		 5,330
3 ATOMIC CITY AIRPORT 32.1 miles ESE (116*) of King The airport is an east / west gravel strip on the east side of town, between the town and Hwy 26. Caution the INEEL boundaries. 43 27.371N,
112 48.280W		 5,020
4 BIG SOUTHERN
BUTTE		 28.7 miles SE (137*) of King The turn point is ranger station of top of the SE corner of the Butte. Be aware of INEEL boundaries. 43 23.772N,
113 1.319W		 ?
5 INVISIBLE SPINE 17.6 miles NW (300*) of King Invisible mountain is the peak on the Lost River Valley just east of Mackay 43 56.638N,
113 32.449W		 7,500
6 CHALLIS AIRPORT 69.8 MILES NW (304*) of King The airport is a north / south paved strip about 1 mile from town on the west side of Hwy 93. 44 31.377N,
114 13.059W		 5,070
7 CRATERS OF
THE MOON		 24.5 miles SSW (197*) of King Use caution landing close to turn point, LZ’s are better a mile north along Hwy 20/26 43 27.731N,
113 33.672W		 5,330
8 DOUBLESPRING
PASS		 840 miles NW (299*) of King Double Springs Pass road just as it is entering the hills going east from the Big Lost River Valley. 44 09.907N,
113 52.157W		 ?
9 ELLIS 74.1 miles NNW (314*) of King Ellis is on Hwy 93 about 15 miles past Challis at the head of the Pahsimeroi Valley 44 40.708N,
114 04.255W		 ?
10 LEFT BLANK Intentionally
11 GRAND VIEW CANYON 57.6 miles NW (302*) of King Hwy 93 goes through the canyon which is about 4 miles out front of the north end of Victory Ridge. This is about 10 miles south of Challis 44 22.359N,
114 04.951W		 ?
12 LEFT BLANK Intentionally
13 HOWE AIRPORT 13.3 miles NE (052*) of King Airport is a small north/ south grass strip on the east side of the highway 5 miles north of town. The first valley over the back of King. 43 51.141N,
113 3.520W		 4,930
14 LEATHERMAN 33.1 miles NW (297*) of King Leatherman is the mountain above Lone Cedar Creek in the Lost River Range. 44 5.455N,
113 46.366W		 12,228
15 LOWER SUNSET
PEAK		 11.9 miles NNW (331*) of King This is a small but distinctive peak about ½ mile out in front of the main spine of Sunset Ridge just before Elbow Canyon 43 55.411N,
113 21.995W		 8,000
16 SAGE JUNCTION 54.7 miles ENE (070*) of King Northwest corner of the junction of Hwy 33 and 115 43 49.919N,
112 12.072W		 ?
17 PASS CREEK 13.5 miles NW of launch, at mouth of the canyon Do not land at the landing strip just south of this point 43 55.875N,
113 26.821W		 6,580
18 Mt. MCCALEB 21.9 miles NW of launch well known and distinctive peak near Mackey 43 59.686N,
113 35.836W		 11,390
19 CORNER
MOUNTAIN		 34 miles NW of launch Borah (tallest in Idaho) is set back just to the NE 44 6.075N,
113 48.069W		 11,200
20 BORAH PEAK 35 miles NW of launch Highest peak in Idaho (will always have a little snow) 44 8.234N,
113 46.858W		 12,650
21 VICTORY RIDGE 55 miles NW of launch last high point on ridge before glide to Challis 44 23.543N,
113 58.960W		 9,700
22 SADDLE  MT 21 miles NE of launch Tall peak at south end of Lemhi Range 43 56.240N,
112 57.271W		 10,800
23 BELL MT Mid way on the Lemhi Range, 33 miles NNE of launch Prominent, symmetric profile 44 14.160N,
113 11.616W		 11,250
24 KING MOUNTAIN GLIDER PARK below King launch, drive past road to launch the turn East Grass Airport/Gliderport 43 45.733N,
113 20.667W		 5,500
25 LAST LINE LAST LINE OF TURNPOINTS
Route Route Description Distance
1 King LZ to Pahsimeroi Mtns., May Airport, Willow Creek, Salmon Airport, Dog-leg to Anaconda Montana Airport. Flight corridor 15 miles either side of route line. 166 miles
2 Sunset peak straight line north east through Dell Montana Airport continued past Three Forks Montana. Flight corridor is 15 miles either side of route line for the entire route. 169 miles
3 King Mtn. straight line east to Henry’s Lake Airport. Flight corridor is 25 miles wide on the North side of center line and 10 miles wide on the South side of route line. Corridor restricted from Howe to “four corners” (intersection of Hwy. 22 and 28). Pilots must stay north of Hwys. 33 and 22 to avoid restricted airspace over Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 114 miles
4 King launch, straight line SSW to Arco Airport, continue SSE to Quaking Aspen Airstrip, continue East to Atomic City, continue SE to Soda Springs airport. Flight Corridor is 15 miles either side of route line to Soda Springs. 116 miles

Preferred Landing Zones

Landing Zones along your routes are provided for your safety and convenience.  For you long-time King Mountain pilots the LZs no longer provide ‘bonus points’, this ended in 2012.  You should provide this list, as well as the Routes and Turnpoints to your driver / chase crew.

Route LZ Description GPS Coordinates °
1 Mackay Airport 43° 54.545N
113° 36.052W
1 Southside of Willow Creek Summit 44° 12.747N
113° 56.537W
1 May Airport 44° 36.625N
113° 53.685W
1 Salmon Rodeo Grounds 45° 13.812N
113° 53.890W
1 Anaconda, Montana 46° 08.961N
112° 51.851W
Route
2 Pass Cr. Rd. & Little Lost River Hwy 44° 08.141N
113° 14.757W
2 Nicholia Ranch Rd T 44° 18.644N
113° 01.242W
2 Dell, MT Airport 44° 44.144N
112° 43.199W
2 Dillon, MT NE End of Airport 45° 15.310N
112° 33.203W
2 Three Forks, MT Airport 45° 52.946N
111° 33.882W
Route
3 4 Corners (Intersection Hwys 22 & 28) 43° 59.278N
112° 43.879W
3 Dubois, ID Airport 44° 09.994N
112° 13.552W
3 Kilgore 44° 27.287N
111° 45.443W
3 Henrys Lake Airport 44° 38.113N
111° 20.714W
Route
4 Quaking Aspen Airstrip 43° 25.581N
113° 10.132W
4 Atomic City 43° 26.710N
112° 46.940W
4 Canal Bridge (Mooreland) 43° 14.100N
112° 26.360W
4 Soda Springs 42° 38.500N
111° 34.800W