Utah Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association
Horse Heaven
Uintah National Forest
Juab County, Utah
Revised 01 Feb 2024
Location
N39º 29' 35.6" W111º 50' 24.9"
39.4932, -111.8403
Elev 7538' / 2297m
Ratings & Skills
UPSHPA H3/P3 (H2/P2 w/instr)
High Altitude, Foot Launch
Radio Comm
Primary . . . . . . . . 447.800
Alternate . . . . . . . . 447-8.25
Emergency . . . . . . 146.560
Access
4WD recommended. Five-mile 2-track dirt service road with switchbacks and steep grades. Impassable in snow without chains. Muddy after snow-melt or rain.
Known Hazards
Midday thermic turbulence. Very high density altitudes in summer. Steep, rocky launch. Dense waist-high vegetation in landing zone.
Site Sensitivites
Austere launch site with no emergency services. National Forest lands and private property. Private land in and around the LZ. Leave vehicles on public lands. Leave gates as you found them.
Attention All Users: Horse Heaven is a challenging, high-altitude mountain-thermal site. No pilot should fly at this site who is not a current USHPA and UHGPGA member holding the minimum USHPA ratings and skills indicated. Visiting and first-time users should obtain a detailed in-person pre-flight briefing from a local UHGPGA member-pilot with recent flying experience at this site. This briefing should take place at the launch site on the day of the flight. Pilots should also familiarize themselves with the known hazards and site sensitivities described in this guide. As pilot-in-command, you alone are responsible for assessing your fitness for flight, the airworthiness of your glider and equipment, the suitability of the current conditions for launch and recovery, and for continuously monitoring glider position and performance to ensure a safe landing at an approved landing zone. If in doubt, do not launch.
Road Conditions
Follow the unpaved utility road southeast. The road starts out on flat public land, passes through gates across private land, and continues up a narrow draw back onto public land. The road is broad and well-maintained in spots, but becomes narrow, gullied, rutted and washed out in others, especially after rain or snow. Do not attempt this drive without a 4WD high-clearance vehicle.
You will gain 2700 feet in elevation between the first gate and the summit. The road eventually climbs steep grades through half a dozen switchbacks. At 4.3 miles, you’ve reached the parking area for the West Launch. To reach the East Launch, continue up the hill. Pass the lower antenna farm at a sharp right-hand turn. When the roads next bends hard to the left, the East Launch is on your right. At either launch site, park vehicles well off the road to allow others to pass.
The Setup:
West Launch: To reach the West Launch, park as far off the narrow road as possible—you may need to park above or below the trailhead. The launch is a large open slope below the road, but you can't see it from the road. Pink streamer tape tied to some low brush on the west side of the road marks the trailhead. Once you've found it, follow the well-worn trail and additional streamers until you reach the open launch area, which faces due west and has wind streamers on poles at each edge of the launch. There is ample room to set up on the slope above launch.
​A west breeze with a north component works best at the West Launch. Do not use the West Launch if winds are other than west or slightly northwest.
​​​
Horse Heaven is a P3/H3 site, or P2/H2 with an instructor. Midday heating, especially in summer, produces cyclic thermic turbulence in the valley and at launch. Take special note of the density altitude on warm days and adjust your takeoff as necessary.
The West Launch looking west towards the LZ. Note wind streamers.
East Launch: In a south or southeast wind you can launch successfully from the East Launch. Although further from the LZ, the minimum glide ratio is about the same (5.0 to 1) due to the East Launch’s higher elevation.
The East Launch is 800 yards past the West Launch. Continue up the road, making a right hairpin turn at the antenna farm. When you reach a left-hand hairpin turn, the East Launch is to your right below the road. The launch itself is steep, short, and rocky, and it culminates over dense head-high gambel oak with no close-in bailout. There are no permanent tie-downs available at either set-up area.​
​
Horse Heaven is a P3/H3 site, or P2/H2 with an instructor. Midday heating, especially in summer, produces cyclic thermic turbulence in the valley and at launch. Take special note of the density altitude on warm days and adjust your takeoff as necessary.
The Landing Zone:
While the farms and ranches in the valley appear to offer unlimited places to land, we do not have permission to plan approaches and landings on these private properties. The area to the north of the second gate (the one you passed on your way in) offers a broad, flat LZ on public land.
​
The sagebrush in the LZ is dense and waist-high, so run-out landings will be challenging. If winds permit, consider an approach and landing on the dirt road. Note the 50-foot tall transmission wires and towers parallel to the roadway.
​
Unplanned landings on agricultural land across the highway should be as close as possible to the eastern fence line, allowing for rapid disassembly and removal of your glider. Use gates whenever possible. Only climb across fences as a last resort, and only at corner posts. Leave all gates as you found them.
