Hey folks,

Longtime lurker here, finally jumping in.

I’m based up in Alaska and fly a pretty built out Cessna 170B. This fall I’ll be bringing it down to the Lower 48 for some panel upgrades, and then I’ll be sticking around down here through Oshkosh next year.

I’ve got the West Coast dialed: California, Oregon, Washington. But I’m looking to explore some new terrain this time around. Specifically, I’d love to hit the backcountry and lesser known strips in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Alabama, and Georgia.

I’ll be running fairly heavy on this leg, so ideally I’m looking for strips 500 feet or longer. Off airport is preferred, but I’m open to pavement if the destination’s got a story, some history, or just incredible scenery.

Would really appreciate any local knowledge on those “don’t skip this one” kind of places.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to finally contributing here.

Brett

Have you looked at the Airfield Guide on the RAF website?

And some states have a backcountry pilot organization with state-specific information. https://utahbackcountrypilots.org is one of the best.

Yeah, very familiar with the Airfield guide. They have a lot of publicly known places, which are great. I'm just looking for a bit more... off the map kind of stuff.

Cleared, I sent you a PM to get the ball rolling.

Join Utah Backcountry Pilots Association and download their content pack, it lists pretty much all the Utah backcountry strips.

If I am not on a work trip I would be happy to venture out with ya. Jay

Deleted due to double post

'strip bagging' strips, 'camp out' strips, or not necessarily 'strips' but fun places to land all exist in multitudes in the desert south west. If you find yourself in the farthest SW corners of AZ shoot me a pm. I can drop a handful of solid 'pins'

Take care,
Rob

There isn't much "backcountry" in Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Alabama, and Georgia in my opinion. Maybe I've missed it. Tennessee and Kentucky particularly seem to have a paucity of public grass strips. You might find some private folks with cool grass strips. These aren't "off the map" places but here are some of my favorites in the region:

Kentucky -- Even though they call it the Bluegrass State they don't have a lot of grass or backcountry-type flying that I've found. I did recently go to and recommend Middlesboro (1A6). Take the courtesy car and go to Cumberland Gap.

Tennessee -- Tullahoma has a nice grass strip and the Beech museum is there. I also like the Chilhowee Gliderport northeast of Chattanooga. Been a few years since I've been there but Sarah is an accomplished glider pilot and a fan of taildraggers.

Georgia -- check out Peach State Aerodrome (GA2). Good restaurant and a cool airport vibe.

Carolinas -- Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks is a great spot with a spectacular beach. You have to get there by boat or plane so it's quiet. My wife and I went there a few years ago and she's still talking about it. If you're in that area, Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay is also an interesting day trip. Also interesting is the area known as the Highlands, around the town of Highlands and Cashiers NC. I've flown into Macon County (1A5) when I've gone there.

Alabama -- Moontown north of Huntsville (3M5) is a don't-miss type of place. I've been intrigued by Dauphin Island (4R9) but haven't been there.

Texas -- Terlingua out in Big Bend is a cool spot, especially if you're into dark skies. Cedar Mills (3T0) has a cool grass strip and a resort.

Here are some others I like:
Rainelle, West Virginia (WV30) -- this is a grass strip on top of a ridge. It's an airpark so there are people around. It gets soft in the winter; I went in April this year and one of the residents told me that the strip had just firmed up enough to land on and I was the first non-resident to land there this year. There used to be a restaurant there but it's long closed.

Natchitoches Louisiana (IER) -- apparently the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase; it has a cool downtown. I had a great stay there once and am overdue for a return visit.

You didn't mention Arkansas but there's some great flying in Arkansas. Check out Trigger Gap, Richland Creek (my favorite), Byrd's Adventure Center, and Gaston's (very well-known resort with a good Sunday brunch). Pine Bluff has a good airport restaurant if you're passing through. Bentonville (VBT) is sort of a hive for the area with a restaurant and an FBO that caters to the backcountry crowd. Their website is https://www.flyoz.com.

Hope this helps! If I think of any others I'll let you know.

I think he's looking for places to go that aren't runways, or someone's home strip.

I usually just fly around looking at sand washes, flatish areas, check it out from the air and decide whether to land or not. I found lots of places to play around in western AZ.

In some states landing off airport might draw unwanted attention. I have heard of people being ticketed for landing on county roads or just out in BLM or Forest Service land.

Come visit me in Wisconsin.

rw2 wrote:Come visit me in Wisconsin.

You guys can collaborate on a tasty dutch oven recipe.

If you are looking for true off airport places to land, good luck. Compared to Alaska, the Lower 48 is a hodge podge of jurisdictions, all with different rules regarding off airport "ATV" operations. On Federal lands, one would think there'd be one policy...but nope, not even close. In fact, other than the National Park Service and the US Fish & Wildlife Serivce, which do have consistent policies: Don't even THINK of landing on a National Park or Refuge in the lower 48, unless it's designated as an airport open to the public, every other agency has vague policies at the national level, but every unit seems to have a different policy.

Same goes for the States in the lower 48. And private lands.....who knows.

So, it'll take a good bit of research, or take your chances. But suffice is to say, when it comes to landing off airport in the lower 48, it's complicated.

StillLearning wrote:I think he's looking for places to go that aren't runways, or someone's home strip.

I usually just fly around looking at sand washes, flatish areas, check it out from the air and decide whether to land or not. I found lots of places to play around in western AZ.

In some states landing off airport might draw unwanted attention. I have heard of people being ticketed for landing on county roads or just out in BLM or Forest Service land.

Yeah, I think you're right. But he did say he was "open to pavement if the destination’s got a story, some history, or just incredible scenery." So maybe some of these spots mentioned above will be of interest to him or someone else.

The only off-airport I've done in the eastern US is on gravel bars in the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. I once tried to get a straight answer as to the legality of that and could not. The state of Arkansas didn't seem to care, but the Corps managed that particular waterway and they were opposed or wouldn't answer the question (I don't recall). I also tried to get permission from the National Park Service to land on the uninhabited part of South Padre National Seashore once. It is legal to drive a street-legal 4x4 truck 60 miles down the beach from Corpus Christi. But land a Super Cub on 31s and leave 300 feet of tracks? Forget it.

Juice isn't worth the squeeze for me... too many overlapping jurisdictions and people with video cameras. But if there are folks who have figured it out I applaud them and I'd be interested to hear about it.

I'm out of Hendersonville, NC (0A7) with a Maule, let me know when you're close if you want a flying buddy.

slowmover wrote:https://www.flyoz.com.

+1 for this. I hoped to spend a week there over the summer but fate had other plans. It would be a great spot to spend a week or so camping.