Coyote dry lake

Coyote Dry Lake sits in the Southern California high desert north of Joshua Tree, at about 791 m. This is not a casual ridge site: local pilots explicitly describe it as very unforgiving, with a history of injuries and near-fatal crashes even among experienced pilots — almost all attributed to poor judgement at launch. Wind can shift from calm to honking with little or no warning, so hang-gliders and single-surface aircraft especially need to be picky about launch conditions. Spring and Fall offer the best flying windows when the wind is less consistently ferocious. Take-off works on S, SW and W flow at the southern end of the ridge, with the LZ right beside launch.

Launch & conditions

The site is very unforgiving. The most common cause of incidents here is poor judgement at launch — wind shifts from calm to strong quickly and without much warning. Pilots should be extra picky about wind speed before committing, and even more so on single-surface hang-gliders. Best flying is Spring and Fall when conditions are less consistently strong.

Getting there & local rules

From downtown Joshua Tree, zero the trip meter at the intersection of Hwy 62 and Park Blvd. 3.9 miles later turn left on Sunfair Road; 7.9 miles further, turn right onto an unmarked dirt road (Aberdeen Dr on GPS) just past a large river-rock house. Follow east until the first jog to the right, take the jog and stay on the most obvious dirt track out of the weeds and onto the lake bed. Trend south-east toward the southern end of the ridge for launch and LZ.

Local rules & hazards

Unforgiving site with a documented history of serious incidents — wind can go from calm to strong with no warning. Be aggressive about picking your launch cycle. Spring and Fall are the safer windows.

Check conditions before you fly

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