Backcountry Pilot

For those who couldn’t make it last time due to the West Fork fire, we're having a "make-up" fly-in. Join us at the second La Garita Creek Ranch Fly-in, September 20th-22nd for great food, fall colors, & mountain flying fun. The Mineral County Airport in nearby Creede will also be hosting breakfast on Sunday AM. The weather this time of year will make for some good flying.

Food, food, & more food.

You won’t go hungry and there is no need to pack a lot of extra weight. For those who arrive on Friday (or before), the La Garita Trading post will be staying open late to provide dinner for the fly-in guests on Friday night. A courtesy van will available at the ranch for breakfast/lunch runs to the trading post throughout your stay.

The main event will be a BBQ Dinner at the ranch on Saturday night that is being catered in ($20/ plate. Register on the FlyColorado.org fly-in page to reserve a plate for Sat night BBQ.) The main lodge also has refrigerators that can be used for storing food and beverages.

If that wasn’t enough, on Sunday morning (Sep 22nd), the Mineral County Airport in Creede will be hosting a fly-in breakfast starting ~8am. The Hooper Sand Dunes Pool Airstrip also has an excellent grille which is a short flight away.

Cabins and tent camping

One of the nice things about La Garita Creek Ranch is that the location was formerly a guest ranch and therefore it has numerous cabins and amenities for campers. On-site cabins and tent sites will be available during the Fly-in. All cabins are fully equipped & furnished with beds, bathrooms, towels, heat, mini-fridge, and microwave. The beds have pillows and clean linen cover. Bring your own sleeping bag or blanket of choice. Depending upon what cabin your rented, some have fireplaces and wood stoves. This time of year can be brisk at night if tent camping, so if you get cold easy, consider renting one of the heated cabins. For cabin specifics/pictures, pricing, and reservations, go to FlyColorado.org.

Alternate airfield options

The La Garita Creek Ranch is a true backcountry airstrip. Don't let the length fool you, at the mouth of the canyon winds can be challenging and downdrafts are present. Tailwind departures and landings are possible. Very High density altitudes can exist. Mountain and soft/short field skills are a must and this is not the place to learn. We still encourage pilots of all skill levels and aircraft types to attend by using the nearby public airports, and will be providing different shuttle options for getting to the ranch. The airports we’ll be providing shuttles to and from are the Del Norte and Leach Airports. This option can also be used for pilots who originally intended to land at La Garita, but wind or weather prevents it.

E-mail us at [email protected] for advance coordination or use the following phone numbers upon landing: Tom Haefeli (phone 719-850-1411) will be transporting folks from Del Norte airport (8V1 - 8NM south of La Garita). The newly installed Del Norte AWOS is 118.27 / 719-657-9017. For transportation to and from Leach Airport (1V8 - 12NM east of La Garita) call Mike Spearman (phone 719-580-2486) for pickup. To view more details on La Garita Creek Ranch including maps, videos, runway information, cabin rentals, and registration, please visit http://www.flycolorado.org . See you there!