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[MauleMechanic]

[crbnunit]

That is a beautiful area. If that is part of the national park, you can give up that idea right now. If national forest, maybe but doubtful. Agreed about the proximity to the Appalachian Trail. That is probably a deal breaker right there.

The only national park I know of that actually welcomes general aviation is Wrangell/St Elias here in Alaska though I have landed in Gates of the Arctic as well.

I've landed all over Denail National Parl as well, with impunity. Unlike Wrangell-St. Elias, I would not say it's exactly welcome (other than on the glaciers on the south side) but I've never been harassed there either.

Good info! Thanks for sharing. I feel the need to explore now!
In the lower 48, however, I can't imagine being able to land off-field in a national park without serious legal consequences. My understanding is that the only reason we can in Alaska is due to concessions gained during the ANILCA negotiations.

I specifically asked the rangers the last time I was in Denali. According to them, there are only two LEGAL landing sites inside the park. One is Stampeed and the other NW of there (can't find the strip now). I was assured that landing elsewhere in Denali, it being designated a "wilderness" park, would result in heavy fines. That said, that place is so frigging huge you'd probably have to land on the road in front of the park HQ just to get caught.

There's a lot of misinformation out there amongst the rangers. Keep in mind that most of them come from the lower 48, and are going by what they know to be true there. Also, most of them are seasonal, and their Alaska knowledge only goes so deep.

When I worked for an air taxi that is based deep inside the park (at Kantishna) I landed all over the place, both inside and outside the wilderness. This was after doing some research, and finding that the was no specific prohibition to doing so, and that ANILCA allowed it as a "traditional" Alaska activity. At least some of the rangers were fully aware of my actions, and they never indicated that doing so was not allowed. I have seen several float planes land on Wonder Lake, inside the wilderness area and right next to a ranger station. Occasionally, new rangers stationed there will get wound up about it. But when they check back with headquarters, they are told they can't do anything about it. This part is embarrassing, but I've bent my airplane twice (Scout, not the Maule) landing off-field in the park. Both times, the park helicopter came and picked me up, with a ranger aboard to investigate and write a report. Neither time did they indicate in any way that I wasn't supposed to be landing there, even though I told them that I had done so intentionally.

All of this is under private operations, in my own airplane. Commercial operations are a different story. Commercial operators are limited to landing at the park strip (at the entrance, by the train station); Kantishna; Stampede; and on any of the glaciers on the south side, as long as they are outside the wilderness. Also, landing at the park strip commercially requires a concession permit, though privately you can land there as much as you like.

[andy]

I did some research on the USFS website and it sounds like aircraft cannot land or take off in a designated wilderness area of a national forest but other than that it's not specifically prohibited. I'm still looking for a map of the designated wilderness areas in Pisgah National Forest to see if Max Patch Mountain is in one of them.

[Andy Young]

CRBNUNIT,

The suspense is killing me; you quoted our discussion so far, but then didn't add a new comment! What was it!?

By the way, hit me up next summer sometime, and I can show you a few excellent places to land in the park (though you might already know them; I know you've been around the neighborhood a while).

Andy Young

[MauleMechanic]

[MauleMechanic]

[VA Maule]

From looking at the map legend I wonder if we ( aircraft) would or could be considered " OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE "?