Backpacking near an airport

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cameronppark

Filing Flight Plan
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Cam
Hey y’all! I just got my private pilot license and I love backpacking, so the question is does anyone know of airports in the western half of the US that have backpacking trails close to it?
 
Near an airport - are you OK with a bit of local transportation, including a car rental? Or you want to start hiking from your plane?
How long of a backpacking trip?
Desert, coast, mountains?
 
Southern Sierra Nevada
Kern Valley - L05

You would likely need a ride to access some of the trails. There are some local guides who could point you in the right direction.

Eastern Sierra:

Lone Pine (O26) would be another suggestion, it’s near Mt Whitney.

Bishop (KBIH) is another suggestion.
 
MountainDude said:
Near an airport - are you OK with a bit of local transportation, including a car rental? Or you want to start hiking from your plane?
How long of a backpacking trip?
Desert, coast,
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I’m ok with a little local transportation/car rental, and as for how long of a trip anywhere from one night to three nights. I definitely have a preference for the mountains but wouldn’t mind branching out and exploring new places.
 
focal_plane said:
Sedona (KSEZ) has trails around the periphery of the airport on the plateau. I’ve been on a portion of it but I believe the trails completely encircle the airport. Scenery is as you’d expect with Sedona.
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You are a new private pilot. Do you own you own airplane or rent? If you rent make sure the group you rent from approve your destination before you go. They may have certain airports they don't want their airplanes to go to. No matter where you go, use your POH to double check your required takeoff and landing distance at the destination and alternate airports for the hottest part of the day. Also double check your ability to meet the POH landing distances, or make personal adjustments to match your skills if you don't. In my Mooney I can make my POH for takeoff distance easily, but I need extra distance on the landing roll. Make sure your landing skill is good enough to completely stop at an unfamiliar airport with room to spare.

Now with that said, go have some fun! Good luck!
 
cameronppark said:
I’m ok with a little local transportation/car rental, and as for how long of a trip anywhere from one night to three nights. I definitely have a preference for the mountains but wouldn’t mind branching out and exploring new places.
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One of the best would be to land at Aspen, take a bus into town, then shuttle to the Maroon-Bells trailhead. From there, you can do a 3-4 day 4-pass loop, which is spectacular:

Land at Montrose, CO, rent a car, then drive south to San Juan mountains. There are 10+ backpacking trips that are world-class. Let me know if you need more specific recs for that area, as I spent years exploring it.

From KLAM, you can actually backpack from the airport. Go through town, and get to the Pipeline trailhead (35.89544352665885, -106.33311631398587). From there, you access 100+ miles of trails around the rim and valley of the Valles Caldera National Monument.
 
This is a great idea. I’d been studying airports near the Appalachian trail to basically go fly into and start hiking from. Wish I could fly into some of these out west. Amazing scenery!
 
David7700 said:
This is a great idea. I’d been studying airports near the Appalachian trail to basically go fly into and start hiking from. Wish I could fly into some of these out west. Amazing scenery!
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What airports have you discovered near the AT? I fly out of Culpeper VA and it sound like a good day trip.
 
Another one that is quite magical is to land at KORS and backpack to Mt Constitution. One of the most beautiful places on Earth, IMO.
 
Just want to thank everyone so much! Definitely wasn’t expecting this much help this fast and everyone’s responses have been awesome! Super excited for this summer y’all are the best
 
Immediately, Cameron Park (O61) comes to mind, as it's smack right at the Sierra foothills. My go to place is Half Moon Bay for some coastal hiking, plus there are some coastal hills within walking distance that are decent hikes.

Oh, and Angwin Parrett, if you can get past the abundance of nut houses in the area, has good hiking.
 
KMKJ , a 2nm walk southwest to the Appalachian Trail.
 
William Pete Hodges said:
What airports have you discovered near the AT? I fly out of Culpeper VA and it sound like a good day trip.
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There are a few, but the first place I wanted to try was Mountain Empire. It is right by where the AT crosses 81 the first time going north from the Grayson Highlands. You can see the AT near that Exxon to the southwest of the airport.

225051b75fd7d39e49333cc9818fa2de.jpg
 
It doesn't get better than the Sawtooth's. Stanley (2U7) is easy and not too far from trail heads (My profile pic is at Stanley). Smiley Creek (U87) is a little more challenging due to the DA but easy and trailheads are a little closer. Come enjoy them while you can before the rest of the range is incinerated. There are several other backcountry airstrips with backpacking opportunities in Idaho but I wouldn't recommend them without some backcountry experience and/or training.


 
Flying for backpacking is kinda’ my jam. If you’re willing to get some transport the sky is the limit (pun intended). In August it was to Pinedale WY for the Winds, probably again this year. Leadville CO for the Collegiate's, Denver area for several trips, Gunnison for the south side of the Maroon Bells, Sheridan for the Big Horns, Laramie for the Medicine Bows, goes on and on. It’s a great way to get places!!
 
MountainDude said:
One of the best would be to land at Aspen, take a bus into town, then shuttle to the Maroon-Bells trailhead. From there, you can do a 3-4 day 4-pass loop, which is spectacular:

Land at Montrose, CO, rent a car, then drive south to San Juan mountains. There are 10+ backpacking trips that are world-class. Let me know if you need more specific recs for that area, as I spent years exploring it.

From KLAM, you can actually backpack from the airport. Go through town, and get to the Pipeline trailhead (35.89544352665885, -106.33311631398587). From there, you access 100+ miles of trails around the rim and valley of the Valles Caldera National Monument.
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Get ready to spend a bunch of money to land and park at ASE. Also pretty sure that you need a permit from REC.GOV to do the four pass loop. And, if hiking around dozens to perhaps hundreds of people is your thing, the Maroon Bells area is perfect.
Otherwise, I'd go somewhere else. Anywhere else.
 
For backpacking in the western US, it's hard to beat the Grand Canyon. Fly into GCN airport, and between Memorial Day weekend and September you can take the free bus to the rim with connections to other trailheads. Other times a taxi will get you there.
In my neighborhood, some favorites are Telluride TEX and Creede CO C24. Both have trails right by the airport. Check out the Wheeler Wilderness area near Creede. Pagosa Springs PSO is very close to the National Forest and Weminuche Wilderness. Leadville LXV gives you the highest airport in the country distinction, and is completely surrounded by National Forest.
I also love Bryce Canyon BCE, where the Ruby's Inn free shuttle will pick you up at the airport.
I wouldn't consider fees at Aspen outrageous. Atlantic there charges the same as its other operations in the region.
Jon
 
Also calling out Yellowstone and Gardiner. You can hike out of both and be in the middle of nowhere really fast.
 
simie1 said:
Flying for backpacking is kinda’ my jam. If you’re willing to get some transport the sky is the limit (pun intended). In August it was to Pinedale WY for the Winds, probably again this year. Leadville CO for the Collegiate's, Denver area for several trips, Gunnison for the south side of the Maroon Bells, Sheridan for the Big Horns, Laramie for the Medicine Bows, goes on and on. It’s a great way to get places!!
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Where do you like to fly in to go to the wind river range?
 
<RP>< said:
Southern Sierra Nevada
Kern Valley - L05

You would likely need a ride to access some of the trails. There are some local guides who could point you in the right direction.

Eastern Sierra:

Lone Pine (O26) would be another suggestion, it’s near Mt Whitney.

Bishop (KBIH) is another suggestion.
Click to expand...

I'd add Mammoth Lakes (KMMH) to this list. Quick taxi ride to town and then plenty of places to hike in the back country.
 
My favorite places to hike in the Sierra are on the east side, steep hiking on the first day but instant gratification getting into the high country. I'll go to either Mammoth, KMMH, or Bishop, KBIH, depending on where we're going. Mammoth can be pretty squirrely though with 12k Laurel Mtn a couple of miles south of the airport. Bishop Airport is farther away from the range though so it's generally not as bad. As a side note Bishop is pretty famous for some noted soaring records, including altitude and distance records riding the Sierra Wave.
 
MountainDude said:
From KLAM, you can actually backpack from the airport. Go through town, and get to the Pipeline trailhead (35.89544352665885, -106.33311631398587). From there, you access 100+ miles of trails around the rim and valley of the Valles Caldera National Monument.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good one to add to my list.

Umpteen decades ago I landed on a (uncharted) strip on the west side of Kennedy Meadows (Sierra Nevada). I don't believe it's in use anymore and it wasn't in good condition even when it was. But I did hear the strip on the east side of the meadows was being worked on to open it back up. (That one was charted as Sacatar Meadows at the time I was flying in there). The west side strip was 2,000 feet long with an end-to-end elevation difference of 300 feet (obviously one-way in, one-way out and no go-around) and a parking area off to the side at the top end. We flew in to retrieve another airplane that made a botched landing after hitting a berm that ran diagonally through the middle section of the strip. It was challenging but fun and I often wanted to return because that place was right next to the border of the Golden Trout Wilderness. Never got back though.

There are also strips in the wilderness area (closed to all but Forest Service aircraft) at Monache Meadows, Templeton Meadows and Tunnel Meadows (9,100 feet in elevation) and a lot of metal strewn around them from unwary, and untrained pilots with poor judgement or understanding about their aircraft performance and density altitude. I've backpacked to those strip and it is awesome country to spend a few days in. Be aware that the backcountry trails all require permits from the USFS. There is a lottery system so check it out before you head that way.
 
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