Yes, it’s allowed! With a permit. No BASE jumping or parachuting, but good old Hang Gliding is OK. Yosemite is the only national park in the country where hang gliding is allowed, and there are some pretty specific requirements. You have to be an expert rated hang glider pilot (and member of the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding association (USHPA) and sign up with the Yosemite hang gliding club in advance (http://www.yhga.org). You can only fly between 7:00 and 9:00AM, and there is only one takeoff spot (Glacier Point) and one landing area (Leidig Meadow). I’ve never seen anyone myself, but YouTube has a 9 minute ride by a guy a named “David” in June of 2007. He takes off from Glacier Point and heads towards Half Dome, then flies almost over Yosemite Falls and lands 9 minutes later in the meadow. To view it CLICK HERE. Hang Gliding has been pretty darn safe over the years since it was first permitted in 1974. No fatalities and no major injuries.
Unrelated thought worth quoting: “She packed my bags last night, pre-flight Zero hour nine a.m. And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then.” – Elton John
*Carpe Diem Experience–Rick Deutsch–www.HikeHalfDome.com*
Hang gliding in Yosemite
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One response to “Hang gliding in Yosemite”
I can remember seeing a few hang gliders during the fall months while I was working at the Lodge Bike stand. It was great to see them floating through the sky and wonder what it must have been like to do something like that. I’ll have to see if I can find the pictures that I took of them.