Paragliding Half Moon Mountain, WY

Located northeast of Pinedale, Wyoming, this site features a 2-mile long grassy ridge with an elevation change of approximately 700-800 feet from the ridge top to the bottom. It is the best foot-launch site near Pinedale and offers opportunities for cross-country flying across the Wind River Mountain range towards Lander or Riverton. The ridge has a grassy, sloping top with multiple launch areas suitable for top landing. The best launch spots are the high NW shoulder, which is the highest point on the ridge but can be tricky in strong winds, and a grassy patch near the center that is free of sagebrush and boulders. The ridge faces mostly southwest, making it ideal for ridge soaring when the wind blows from that direction. However, the Wind River Mountains behind the ridge often deflect the low-level winds, usually from the northwest. Ridge soaring is typically possible only on pre-frontal days when the wind pushes from the southwest, but these days often see increasing wind speeds towards sunset. The area behind the mountain is dense forest and a large lake, making it a bad place to get blown over the back. Winds usually shift from southwest to west to northwest towards sunset, creating a turbulent boundary between soarable air above the ridge and lower winds crossing from the northwest. Scratching along the face becomes risky due to shear turbulence, especially when the wind shifts more from the west or northwest. The mountain is a terminal glacier moraine, with the soarable face and grassy area below peppered with numerous boulders. Extra care is needed when side-hill or bottom landing. The best bottom landing area is in front of the center of the mountain, where there is a large flat area mostly free of boulders. In summer, particularly August, the site can be good for thermals when winds are light from the southwest to west. However, it often generates strong thermals by 1:30 PM, and wind speeds can cycle to over 20 mph as thermals move up the face. Caution is advised, especially if upper-level winds are above 10 mph from the southwest, as you may drift back over Half Moon Lake and the Bridger Wilderness Area, which has few landing options and no vehicle access, potentially leading to a long walk-out. It is advisable to fly thermals when winds aloft are less than 10 mph up to 18,000 ft MSL from the south, southwest, or west. Vehicle access is via Pole Creek Road, which turns northeast off highway US191 a mile or so southeast of Pinedale. Follow it until it turns to dirt after a sharp right turn. On the dirt road, stay to the left at several forks. This improved dirt road (2-wheel-drive, low clearance) runs along the base of the ridge from the southeast end to the northwest end. At the northwest end, the road turns up the face but deteriorates into a rutted, rocky 4-wheel-drive road. This road can be used to reach the ridge line by following it around the back and turning up a spur into the forest. If the spur road is closed by the US Forest Service, the launch areas on the ridge can be reached by hiking up the spur road and climbing about 200 feet up the back of the ridge, or hiking up about 500 feet from the first big switchback near the northwest end of the ridge.