Hat Creek Rim

Hat Creek in Lassen is an amazing site for easy lift everywhere at the right time of day. The evenings from about 6:30PM to sunset offer lift all over the valley and the ability to stay up for over an hour fairly easily. It’s a very user friendly site with a huge LZ that allows open camping, and not a bad drive from there to launch. It’s such a large and diverse site that it’s important to watch site into videos, and to have a good site introduction to prevent you from getting into a bad situation. Below are some helpful tips to get you started. I am new to this, and have minimal experience at Hat Creek so always rely on your experienced site sponsor.

***My Verizon cell service was spotty here***

What to do before you go:

  • Contact and plan to meet up with a site sponsor (Observer, Instructor, etc.) Contact one of the site officers with more questions

  • Watch Site Intro Videos. Here is an excellent one provided by Takeo Eda, conducted by Robert Booth: (136) Hat Creek site brief by Robert Booth - YouTube

  • Learn about and be aware of weather conditions leading up to your trip.

  • Look at routes getting there, and be prepared to show up well before you’re scheduled to meet, so you aren’t rushed, or holding people up

Where to go:

  • Most people coming up meet at LZ2. The big LZ, not LZ1 (You’ll get to LZ2 on the dirt road before LZ1)

  • If meeting people at launch, it’s further up the dirt road past LZ1

  • See site guide for details: Overview – HAT CREEK RIM

What to bring:

  • Glider, Harness, Helmet (Don’t forget your cross bar w/wheels!)

  • Sunglasses or goggles. Expect long flights, dry eyes

  • Wind-meter. The windspeed at launch is critical

  • Vario if you have one. Lift is everywhere, but it helps

  • Water, bring plenty (it goes fast and others might needs some)

  • 2-way radios, like the Baofeng UV-5R: Amazon.com

  • Knee pads. The LZ has a lot of lava rock in places

  • Long pants help here. If you stumble a landing, the rocks can be tough

  • Camping gear. There’s an outhouse but bring TP anyway

  • Sunblock, EZ-Up canopies, shades etc.