Woodside

Woodside is one of the best-known and most valued flying sites in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, a west-southwest launch on a groomed slope with room for ten or more gliders to set up and a large parking area right there. It flies for thermals, ridge soaring and cross-country, and the classic runs from here go out to Hope, or the gentler option down to Harrison Hot Springs — which has the distinct advantage of somewhere to soak afterwards. Both paragliders and hang gliders use it, and in spring and early summer it gets genuinely busy. Two things shape how you fly it. The site sits under a reserved airspace block with a hard ceiling, and the landing situation is strict rather than casual: there are designated fields, they are the only ones you may use, and the glide to the hang glider field is long into any headwind.

Launch & conditions

A groomed, gradually steepening slope facing west-southwest at around 680 m, with a clean takeoff and a setup area for ten or more gliders. Wire men are needed in strong thermal conditions. In poor conditions there is a good hang glider ramp lower down the slope. Head for the landing zone while you are no more than about 50 ft below the old lower launch.

Getting there & local rules

The Riverside landing zone is about ten minutes on foot south of where the Lougheed Highway meets the forest service road. A trail leaves the field near its northwest corner and crosses a neighbouring property to the cafe — if you open a gate, close it behind you.

Local rules & hazards

The site flies inside a reserved airspace block with a ceiling of 6,000 ft, and cross-country is planned around it rather than through it. Land only in the designated fields and in no others — the site's access depends on it — and remember the glide out to the hang glider field is long into any headwind. Watch for light aircraft over the Riverside landing zone.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Woodside, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Woodside with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.