Mt St Helena
- Location: 7 mi NNW of Calistoga. DeLorme 83 C7
- Launch: W to SW, prefrontal usually best bet. Post frontal with light N also OK.
- Elevation: 4200'
- Rating: H4/P4, H3/P3 if sponsored by SW.
- Cautions: SW members only. Guests only with SW member. Locked gate, 8:1 glide out; vineyards abound! Private LZ; must call manager before landing.
- Paragliding: not too cool, rocky setup, long glide out
- Records: 53 mi XC to near Rio Vista
The image at the top of the main page is also of St Helena.
UPDATE 4-00
Pierre Ehret, (the owner of "Bavarian Lions", the vineyard and LZ where we currently have permission to land), has asked us to please call Martin the foreman if we are going to be landing there, with some idea of numbers .
Martin's # is 707-942-5387 or 942-4033 Also if there are several cars, please DO NOT all drive in there - stage out on the road at the junction of Franz Valley Road and 128 where we used to park. Keep the disturbance to miminimum. It is REALLY IMPORTANT that you call first. If you don't want to do this then either don't fly here or land somewhere else. It is pretty good of Pierre to let us use his land at all, please don't screw things up by failing to observe this courtesy.
Thanks, Leo Jones, Flight Director, Sonoma Wings
Further suggestions from John Blacet:
Pierre and Martin's houses are right on the drive into the ranch; keep
your speed down!
Pack up your gliders and leave in a reasonable amount of time. Police the
area and remove any litter, windsocks, etc. Be friendly and curteous to everyone
that you meet from the ranch. Although we have a long history of using the
property, we absolutely cannot afford to have any incidents that would
offend the land owner!
Streamers at launch must also be removed at the end of the day.
Mt. St. Helena Site Rules - April 2000
These rules for hang gliding at Mt. St. Helena will be in effect until further notice.
I. PARK REGULATIONS
1) All Robert Louis Stevenson State Park rules and regulations must be observed. Pilots and their guests are responsible for knowing these rules.
2) Hikers have right of way. Drive so as to create a minimum of dust, especially when passing hikers. We want no complaints from hikers about this.
3) Dogs are not allowed in the park.
4) Smoking is not allowed in the park because of the high fire risk.
5) Hang glider vehicles must stay on designated roads. They are not allowed on the road to the North Peak.
6) Hang gliders may launch only from designated launch areas.
II. PILOT QUALIFICATIONS
1) Pilots must be current USHGA or USPA members.
2) Pilots must be members of Sonoma Wings, or be a sponsored guest of Sonoma Wings. Sponsors are responsible for their guests, and ensuring that they are familiar with the rules.
3) Pilots must have an advanced (Hang 4 or P4) rating, (or be rated Hang 3 or P3 with mountain flying experience, and be sponsored by a Sonoma Wings committee member).
III. SITE PROCEEDURES
1) Use is limited to 3 vehicles and 20 pilots maximum. Drivers must exercise extreme caution while driving on Park roads due to hikers. Do not exceed 20 mph and go dead slow when passing hikers!
2) All streamers, windsocks and any litter must be removed at the end of each day.
3) Drivers of vehicles must ensure that the gate is locked when leaving the Park.
4) The Flight Director, or the senior Sonoma Wings Committee member present, shall be responsible for ensuring that Park rules, Club rules, and safe operating procedures are followed.
5) Landing areas are subject to change. Some apparently suitable areas must not be landed in except in case of an emergency. It is each pilotÕs responsibility to know which areas can be used.
6) At time of writing, the Bavarian Lion Ranch is the primary LZ. Note that this field is approximately an 8:1 glide from launch and is surrounded by vineyards! It is imperative that before we use this LZ we call Martin the foreman, 942-5387, and let him know approximately how many gliders will be landing there. Do not take more than 2 vehicles onto the Ranch property.
7) Continued flying at this site very much depends upon the goodwill of landowners in the valley allowing us to use their property for landings. Wherever you land, do not drive into fields, or climb over fences, and please use extreme diplomacy and courtesy in all dealings with landowners.