Sites/Lava Butte
DOSSIER · 141SITE · NORTH AMERICA
36°08′55″N · 114°56′14″WLIVE CHART · OBSERVED 1401Z
Airworthy · 3+
NORTH AMERICA · NEVADA · USA

Lava Butte

ThermalXCSimulatedFoot Launch
ELEV 871 M / 2,857 FTTZ America/Los_Angeles

Specimen Sheet · Vital Statistics

Launch Elev871 m
Launch Elev FT2,857 ft MSL
Min Hang RatingH3
Best Wind238° · 10–20 kt
Coordinates36.1487° N
 -114.9373° E

Classification · Terrain & Access

CliffLoose RockDesertHigh DesertFlat LandFoot LaunchRoad Access
§ 01CHART · LAUNCHES & LANDINGS

Field chart.

Launch point
Landing zone
Launch heading
1 LAUNCH · 1 LZ · ALT RANGE 589871 M

§ 02 · Flying Conditions · Field NotesUpdated 2026·03·21

The Rainbow Gardens Trail System is within the Rainbow Gardens ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern). The area contains a scenic mountain and canyon landscape, but is unique in its close proximity to the city, and includes significant historic, cultural and scenic vistas. Mountain biking, hiking and limited off-road use is allowed within this trail system. Please remain on trail to protect the environment around you and keep the trails open for future generations.

This trail system is open year round but is best traveled during the spring and winter months when the temperatures are tolerable. There are no resources at the trailhead so be sure to pack plenty of water and supplies.

Has 1 different launch points. The best wind direction is 237.7 @ 10 knts but many sites can be flown from multiple directions, so check before you fly.

You can expect to find: thermal conditions cross country potential , all dependent on current weather conditions.

§ 03 · Wind Window · Best Operating EnvelopeWSW · 238° ±0°

NSEWNESENWSW
1020 kt
Primary · WSW · 238°
Envelope: 238° – 238° (±0°)
Preferred · 1015 ktWorkable · 1523 ktHazardous · >25 kt

Chase the Wind

Nearest weather station to Lava Butte. Select any row to see which launches are in wind, then set your MSFS world clock to that UTC time.

Nellis AFB, NV, US

13:43 UTC

13 km from site

Wind

ENE 70°

4 kt

Ceiling

Clear

10+ sm vis

ENE 70° · 4 kt · 13:43 UTC

Lava Butte LaunchOver the back (168°)

Select a time to check launches

Jan 21

Weather at , 13 km from Lava Butte. Mountain conditions may differ — this is a clue, not a forecast. Adjust sim time on site until conditions feel right.

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§ 07 · Location · Field CoordinatesWGS-84

Latitude36.148733
Longitude-114.937290
DMS · N36°08′55″N
DMS · E114°56′14″W
Altitude871 m
Altitude FT2,857 ft
Time ZoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
UTM11S 685 570 E · 6 919 577 N

§ 09 · Recent Flights · Log Book

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FILE № 141 · CLOSED 2026·03·21
THE HANG GLIDING FILES · THGF
✎ SURVEYED · NORTH AMERICA · USA