A: My 172 on the way to Johnson Creek!

I've always taken the same route. Tonight, I was looking at other routes in case I might want to come in some time from a different direction. That got me to thinking that there might be people on here who have never been there and would be interested in seeing the canyon flying that is involved.

Here's the route I've always taken:
http://www.runwayfinder.com/?loc=myl;44.923/-115.950;45.048/-115.928;45.075/-115.782;44.945/-115.605;44.960/-115.505;3U2

If you click on the white "terrain" button in the upper right corner of the map, you will get a shaded, topographic map with much higher resolution than the VFR chart. Then, you can zoom in and really see the canyons.

I'd be interested in knowing what routes other people take, and how well they can accomodate lower horsepower planes.

Does not open for me

Tim

qmdv wrote:Does not open for me

Tim

Opens perfectly for me.

Has anyone noticed that Google has integrated the Google Earth functionality into their web based Maps? If you open maps.google.com, search for "yellow pine, id", you'll be taken to the classic 2D map centered on Yellow Pine. If you then select the "Earth" view mode from the upper right menu, it takes you into this mode where you can control your heading, camera angle, zoom, etc...all the cool stuff from Google Earth that lets you virtually fly down the canyon. It's nice to have that without having to fire up the actual GE application.

A word of caution though, it takes a little while to load in the browser.

As an alternative, I like overflying Landmark and then flying the Johnson Creek drainage north up to Johnson Creek. Gives you lots of time to slow down and get down and puts you on the downwind leg.

Oregon180 wrote:As an alternative, I like overflying Landmark and then flying the Johnson Creek drainage north up to Johnson Creek. Gives you lots of time to slow down and get down and puts you on the downwind leg.

I have to agree on this one. Wannabe talked me into taking the southern route from McCall last time I flew into JC, and I liked it. You don't have to climb as high, and like Oregon180 said, it sets you up for a nice downwind entry to rwy 17 so that you can scope the field and find your parking spot prior to landing.

Oregon180 wrote:As an alternative, I like overflying Landmark and then flying the Johnson Creek drainage north up to Johnson Creek. Gives you lots of time to slow down and get down and puts you on the downwind leg.

That looks like a good route. I think I'll try it this summer. Anything that precludes climbing over higher terrain and has a road in the bottom is always desirable.

Roads aren't just good for emergencies, they can also be a good navigation aid. I've talked to a few pilots over the years who have told me they flew up the wrong canyon trying to get from JC to Big Creek. It was always the same canyon, due north of Yellow Pine, about a mile to the west of the one they should have taken. It's hard to see on the chart, but there is a road that goes up the correct canyon, and if they had known that and had taken care to follow it, they wouldn't have made that potentially deadly mistake. Of course, the "interesting" strips never have roads in the vicinity!

kevbert wrote:

Oregon180 wrote:As an alternative, I like overflying Landmark and then flying the Johnson Creek drainage north up to Johnson Creek. Gives you lots of time to slow down and get down and puts you on the downwind leg.

That looks like a good route. I think I'll try it this summer. Anything that precludes climbing over higher terrain and has a road in the bottom is always desirable.

Roads aren't just good for emergencies, they can also be a good navigation aid. I've talked to a few pilots over the years who have told me they flew up the wrong canyon trying to get from JC to Big Creek. It was always the same canyon, due north of Yellow Pine, about a mile to the west of the one they should have taken. It's hard to see on the chart, but there is a road that goes up the correct canyon, and if they had known that and had taken care to follow it, they wouldn't have made that potentially deadly mistake. Of course, the "interesting" strips never have roads in the vicinity!

kevbert - I can't make the fly-in in June, but am planning a trip to Idaho (Idaho Falls/Jackson, WY/Hailey) to visit family in July, and I'd like to visit JC then ... so am wondering about an approach from the southeast .... you or anybody else here made it in to JC from that direction?

Any advice to offer?

Have come into JC from the southeast..Arco, Hailey, Smiley Creek, Bruce Meadows, Landmark, JC. Have also come in several times from Cascade. Approach from up river...long downwind to land up river at JC. No real big mountains to fly over.
HC

I like the Landmark and fly down Johnson Creek route into Johnson Creek.

yup on the south route. us local folks call in "big creek summit for johnson ck"

p.s. not the big creek you're think'in....

jomac wrote:yup on the south route. us local folks call in "big creek summit for johnson ck"

p.s. not the big creek you're think'in....

Probably not good terminology to use when directing non-locals then.

yeah, or the non locals should look at a map before they launch!