Pardal top

Pardal Top launches from around 1,558 m in the Sierra de Cazorla area of Jaén province, Spain, and is built for thermal and hike-and-fly flying rather than a quick tandem hop. Getting there already sets the tone: the last stretch is an 11 km gravel road best driven with a 4x4, or a 2-3 hour walk up from the Fresnedilla checkpoint for those without a vehicle. The summit takeoff is cleared of scrub but still has a few loose stones underfoot, and needs roughly 15 km/h of wind to work well — there isn't much room to spare on top, so a lower launch point 50 m below the summit serves as the strong-wind option, and it's also flyable with no wind at all. Wind direction follows the day: the east-facing takeoff works in the morning, the west-facing one in the evening. Landing is in a wide but uneven area, terraced from old grain farming, so expect some stones and sloped ground rather than a flat strip. This is a site for pilots comfortable reading terrain and timing wind shifts, not a first mountain flight.

Launch & conditions

Summit takeoff needs about 15 km/h of wind and has some loose stones; a lower launch 50 m below the summit serves as the strong-wind option and also works with no wind at all.

Getting there & local rules

Reach it via an 11 km gravel road (better with a 4x4 for the last stretch) coming from Mogón, Chilluévar or El Charco del Aceite, or hike up from the Fresnedilla checkpoint in 2-3 hours.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Pardal top, 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 Pardal top with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.