Sites/Walt s Point - Horseshoe
DOSSIER · 274SITE · NORTH AMERICA
36°28′22″N · 118°06′55″WLIVE CHART · OBSERVED 1403Z
Airworthy · 4+
NORTH AMERICA · CALIFORNIA · USA

Walt s Point - Horseshoe

ThermalRidgeXCSimulatedFoot Launch
ELEV 2,796 M / 9,174 FTTZ Pacific Daylight Time

Specimen Sheet · Vital Statistics

Launch Elev2,796 m
Launch Elev FT9,174 ft MSL
Min Hang RatingH4
Best Wind90° · 0–0 kt
Coordinates36.4729° N
 -118.1152° E

Classification · Terrain & Access

Foot Launch
§ 01CHART · LAUNCHES & LANDINGS

Field chart.

Launch point
Landing zone
Launch heading
1 LAUNCH · 1 LZ · ALT RANGE 1,5332,796 M

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

(Owens Valley- Lone Pine- Bishop) Launch is either known as Walt's Point or Horseshoe.

Probably the most famous of the numerous launches in the infamous Owen's Valley is Walt's Point, located 9,000' up on the Sierra Escarpment. This site has been the origin of men's and women's world records, thousands of personal best flights, and hundreds of "there I was, thought I was gonna die" stories.

Hang glider pilots have been flying from Walt's Point since the mid seventies. Before the advent and popularity of flatland flying sites in Texas and Florida, The Owen's Valley was where you went if you wanted really big air.

Since the mid-nineties the number of pilots on a given weekend has dropped off considerably -

but Walts' is still the destination of choice for many seeking long flights and the incredible vistas available from high up over the Sierra Nevada range.

Has 1 different launch points. The best wind direction is 90 @ 0 knts but many sites can be flown from multiple directions, so check before you fly.

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

§ 03 · Wind Window · Best Operating EnvelopeE · 090° ±0°

NSEWNESENWSW
00 kt
Primary · E · 090°
Envelope: 090° – 090° (±0°)
Preferred · 00 ktWorkable · 03 ktHazardous · >5 kt

Chase the Wind

Nearest weather station to Walt s Point - Horseshoe. Select any row to see which launches are in wind, then set your MSFS world clock to that UTC time.

China Lake , CA, US

13:43 UTC

95 km from site

Wind

SSW 210°

6 kt

Ceiling

Clear

10+ sm vis

SSW 210° · 6 kt · 13:43 UTC

Roadside launchCrosswind (87°)

Select a time to check launches

Jan 21

Weather at , 95 km from Walt s Point - Horseshoe. 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

Latitude36.472886
Longitude-118.115193
DMS · N36°28′22″N
DMS · E118°06′55″W
Altitude2,796 m
Altitude FT9,174 ft
Time ZonePacific Daylight Time
UTM11S 400 092 E · 4 287 225 N

§ 09 · Recent Flights · Log Book

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FILE № 274 · CLOSED 2026·03·21
THE HANG GLIDING FILES · THGF
✎ SURVEYED · NORTH AMERICA · USA