Sollie Smith

Sollie Smith launches from an open grassy slope in a west-facing bowl in Oregon's Coast Range, with soaring potential along a south-facing ridge and Sugar Hill's west face nearby to the southeast. It's a 2WD drive the whole way up, though the route is specific enough that checking in with local pilots before flying is genuinely useful. Wind here deserves real respect: strong west surface winds can generate turbulence from thermal shearing and a pronounced wind gradient near the ground, and marine air can condense rapidly in front of launch, creating white-out conditions with little warning. Summer brings strong thermal activity, but the prevailing northerly wind that time of year can get blocked by the slope up to launch while still generating rotor turbulence higher up. Reaching launch from Portland means Highway 6 to Tillamook, then Wilson River Loop and Sollie Smith Road, following a specific sequence of junctions up to the top. Landing is in a cow pasture, on the west side of a north-south dirt track that runs parallel to a creek — the east-side field isn't currently approved for landing. Watch for cattle on the way in, and USHPA membership is expected for insurance coverage.

Launch & conditions

Open grassy slope in a west-facing bowl; soaring potential along the south-facing ridge, with west-facing Sugar Hill nearby to the southeast. It's a 2WD drive all the way up.

Getting there & local rules

From Portland: Highway 6 to Tillamook, right on Wilson River Loop, right onto Sollie Smith Road. Park at the landing zone and carpool up via a specific sequence of junctions to launch.

Local rules & hazards

Strong west surface winds can create turbulence from thermal shearing and a sharp wind gradient near the ground, and marine air can condense rapidly in front of launch, creating white-out conditions with little warning. Summer's prevailing northerly wind can get blocked by the launch slope while still generating rotor turbulence higher up. Land only on the west side of the north-south dirt track by the creek — the east-side field isn't approved — and watch for cattle. USHPA membership is expected for insurance coverage.

Check conditions before you fly

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