Paragliding Santiago Peak, CA

This site is not officially recognized and is considered less interesting compared to other options. No flight logs have been found for this location. Takeoff is flat and typically in a wind shadow, requiring good forward launching skills. A friend of mine broke lines on two wings trying to launch and eventually gave up. Make sure to check if the gates to the road leading up are open, as they may be closed during the mating season of protected toads. There are two roads to the launch site. One is via Main Divide from the 74 (turn the opposite direction instead of heading east), and the other is from Silverado (often closed, so check beforehand). Both roads require a 4WD vehicle. The drive takes about 1+ hour from the 74 or 45+ minutes from Silverado. Santiago launch faces southwest into the Trabuco Canyon wash. There is also a second launch at Modjeska Peak facing west, but the site's effectiveness and legalities of launching or landing there are unclear. The turnaround time is quite long, making it impractical for regular flying, though it might be fun for novelty. Landing can be tricky as there may be people playing in the baseball field LZ. On one occasion, we landed there during active games and were cheered on, but reactions may vary depending on the crowd's mood. For more information, you can visit [Paragliding Forum](https://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4626) or watch a related video on [YouTube]( ).