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Dunlap Flying Site

Site Description:

Dunlap is located east of Fresno along highway 180 on the route into King’s Canyon.

The Main Launch is 4600 MSL and the LZ is 2000 MSL.  There is a new launch suitable only for P3s and P4s called the north launch.   Please see the CCHPC Club page (link for joining is below). Both launches are located in the foothills of the Sierra mountains and is a great site for XC.    This site can work year-round, but in stronger winters, snow can block access to the launch.  The Main launch faces SSW.  I have not yet flown the North Launch, please see the CCHPC club website for info on the North Launch.

Mid-Day flying during summer months should only be done by expert pilots.  Better yet, the site is great for morning flights and evening during this time of year.

Regulations:

Dunlap is a regulated  P3 site, but P2 pilots can fly with an approved sponsor.   All pilots need to be members of USHPA and also need to be current (Annual Renewal) in regards to site fees (info below).   P3 and P4 pilots should get a site intro and are required to join the  Central Valley Hang gliding and Paragliding Association (CCHPA) – the club that sponsors and insures the site.  The Annual Fee for Dunlap is $75 / Year and Day Use Fee is $25/ day (includes camping at Dan’s LZ.  To join the club, please see the below information to Join the CCHPC club.

Payment  – Please visit the new club site at CCHPC.club.  The page to join the club and pay your dues is:

http://www.cchpc.club/dunlap.html

At the time of this posting, you have two options.  Option A $100 gets you a full year of membership for both Dunlap and Tollhouse. Option B $50 gets you 1 month of access for both sites:

 

Below is a snippet from Google Earth that shows the main flight paths from the Dunlap launch to the primary LZ.   Better lift is found by staying on the back ridge and then veering to the LZ via either Last Chance, or Next To Last Chance ridges.

 

Directions to Dunlap

Google Maps Link- Click Here  (To central Dunlap, not to flying site)

Driving to Fresno from the Bay Area:

You can go a couple different ways or mapquest it yourself, but you will want to end up on Hwy 99 S as you get to Fresno.

  • From South Bay, you can take 101 S to Gilroy and take 152 E and go all the way to Hwy 99 and then head S to Fresno.
  • From the East Bay, you can take 580 East to 99 S to Fresno.

With no traffic, from my house in San Mateo, not too much difference which way I go, but I think with traffic, I would go the 152 route to avoid the 580 nightmare.

From Fresno to Dunlap:

  • Take Hwy 180 East from Fresno to the town of Dunlap.
  • After turning onto Hwy 180 East, continue for 45 minutes – 1 hr.   Follow the signs to stay on 180 east.  Continue past the town called Squaw Valley.   After this, the next gas station is the beginning of Dunlap.  Just after you pass the Gas Station you will see a little restaurant on the right, it is called the Hummingbird Cafe.   Dunlap Rd. is the next right.

To go to the LZ  –       GPS  Lat 36°44’4.46″N and Long 119° 6’29.26″W

  • Turn right onto Dunap Rd. and continue about 3.8 miles. About 1/4 mile before you reach Milwood Rd., you will see a School on the right.
  • Shortly after you pass the school, not even 1/4 mile, look for Millwood Rd. on the left.
  • Look for the 5th driveway on the left. There is a geodesic dome on the campground property. Take the road just after that in to the camping area.

Camping and Lodging Options

There is camping available in the Dunlap LZ / Campground as well as cabins called the Sequoia Highlands, just walking distance from the launch.   There are also dorm rooms and camping available at Sequoia Highlands.  A new venue for dorms and rooms that some pilots now say is the best is the St. Nicholas Retreat.

Camping at Dan’s LZ

Full contact information is available at the page http://dunlaplanding.com/ .   Directions to the LZ above will get you to Dan’s LZ.

Sequoia Highland Cabins

http://www.sequoiacampingresort.com/

If you do not like the below directions to launch (Sequoia is just past launch on the same road), try this page http://www.sequoiacampingresort.com/directions-to-sequoia-highlands-in-sequoia-national-park/

DunlapRd-SequioaH

St. Nicholas Retreat

About 1/2 mile before you get to Dan’s LZ is a Retreat called St. Nicholas.   They have dorm rooms there as well as cabins for rent.  If you stay here, please be respectful of the type of place it is (this is not party central!).   Website for St. Nicholas Retreat is http://www.stnicholasranch.org/

 

Launch Directions –    GPS  Lat 36°45’52.48″N Long 119° 5’53.30″W

After following the previous directions to the LZ, but before you turn off onto Dunlap Rd., continue straight ahead on Hwy 180.   You will start winding up into the mountains.  I think it is about 10 minutes up the road, on the left you will pass “Snowline Lodge”.    A couple of turns past this, there will be a fire road – paved at first that goes up the mountain on the left.   This is the road to the cabins.

About a mile after that you will turn/veer left onto Milwood Rd.  (I think this is unmarked…).  (There are signs on route pointing the way to Sequoia Highlands.)  Sequoia Highlands is 4.2 miles from Hwy 180.

Google maps has the road pretty well shown here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Hway+180+and+Dunlap+Rd.&daddr=Campground+w%2F+cabins+%4036.767423,-119.098952&geocode=FQ3cMAIdgbHl-Cl9WXTIxw6VgDETu5Ny_6Qy1w%3BFb8GMQIduLHm-A&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=36.755871,-119.095917&sspn=0.031495,0.091925&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13

The next two intersections follow the signs that either say Delilah Lookout or Sequoia Highlands.  When you reach the highest point of the mountain, the cabins will be on the left.  Below, are the directions I found on the Sequoia Highlands site, but I think with the above directions you should be able to get there.