If you're after thermals, Horse Canyon is a great place to find them.  Located about an hour east of San Diego (Driving Directions) , this site has become a destination for pilots seeking thermal and X-C flying conditions.  The potentially strong conditions make Horse a site suited to more experienced pilots, but the evening glass-off and nice LZ are managable for the less experienced.  Horse works best in south-southwest winds, but in the Summer, it has a real propensity to switch to NW (cross on launch) very quickly.  The best indicator for the predominant wind is the windmill located across I-8--if it is facing northwest, then odds are the winds aloft are probably doing the same.  The strong thermals can give an apparent wind at launch that looks more favorable, so be observant once you're up.

The Launch:   The potentially strong conditions and limited launch space at Horse require solid launching skills.  To further complicate matters, the ground is very rocky with lots of "grabby" rocks ready to cut your lines and tear your glider.  On the good days, there will be a long line of paragliders and hangliders in the small set-up area, so it's better to have all your equipment sorted out prior to launch.  Once you launch, fade to the south to avoid the rotor that often sets up to the north behind the main ridge (especially on the more cross days).  There is an alternative NW facing launch, but it points you straight at the rotor, so beware.  This launch can be top-landed, but be careful not to get to far back behind the road up to the launch where there might be rotor.

The North Bowl:  If you find some lift immediately after launch, you can start to work your way to the north along the ridge.  This area is relatively active, so don't scratch to close to the ridge or you might get thumped.  If you have enough altitude, the bowl can usually produce nice lift.  In more NW conditions, if you can get over to the grassy side of the bowl, you can find ample lift.  In more W-SW conditions, the rocky inside corner of the bowl can work pretty well, but be cautious about your alitude, if you have to run into the wind, you might land short of the LZ--a good rule of thumb is if your in the northern area, if you get below launch height, you have to start thinking about about making your way back to the LZ.

The South Cones:  This area is a little lower than the launch, so it is easy to turn left after launch and arrive over the the two little peaks referred to as the cones (not the more westerly peak that tends to be trashy).  If the wind is NW, this area works really well.  On your way over from the lauch, be aware of a potential venturi that might set up between the cones and the main ridge and the two cones.  The cones also work really well during the evening glass-off and the proximity to the LZ makes it a comfortable place to cruise.  In the windier days, the area can generate some ridge lift in between the thermals.

Primary LZ:   The LZ at Horse is a beautifully cleared area with a large flag that is great for paragliders (even some hangs can land in it), but it seems like people are never quite getting there.  The area is very active and there is often lots of lift or sink around it and many experienced pilots have landed in the scrub.  While there are no real dangers (provided you don't land on I-8) the seemingly little sage brush is really about 8 feet high and can be a giant pain in the ass for getting your glider out of.  All I can really recommend is come over the LZ with plenty of altitude and burn it off circling the LZ.

Alternate LZ's:  Since the area is so active, it's nice to have to alternate LZ's.  The first and most obvious is the dirt road around the primary LZ.  Sometimes this is a better place to land as you can set longer approaches if the wind direction is appropriate.  Another good alternative LZ is on the other side of I-8 in the big unplanted crop fields where the hangliders land.  Finally, the best real emergency LZ if you can't make any of these is a small dirt track that parallels the ridge.  It might look fairly small, but you can land in it and it's definitely better than the bushes.

Fuzz:  When the wind is blowing down from the SE at the Horse LZ, there is a drive-up launch at the other side of the valley.  This is a relatively small area that is ideally for hangliders, but a paraglider will fit.  There can be lots of nice triggers and it is easy to work over the launch to the upper peak (barely shown on the map).  The same LZ used by the hangs can be utilized (alternate LZ #6 on map).  Be careful if the conditions start to shift more northerly as there is potential for a lot of rotor just below launch and it can become difficult to make it to the LZ.

Getting There:   From San Diego:  Take I-8 East (approx 60 miles from I-5/I-8 junction) to Buckman Springs Rd.  Exit the interstate and turn left back under the highway.  The road becomes dirt and you'll see the LZ.  This is National Forest, so if you're parking here, either have a pass or risk getting a ticket (the same cost as a day pass) from the ranger.  The road to the launch is kind of rough and your average 2WD car is going to have a tough time making it only due to clearance issues.

Park Passes:  A US Forest Ranger Station (where passes can be purchased) is located on Alpine Blvd, between the Tavern Road and West Willows Road exits off HWY 8. The Adventure Pass which is good for Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests (Marshall?) is $30/year. This pass is transferable between vehicles. Additional pass (vehicle specific) can be purchased for $5 each.

asaluk@scripps.edu