Crestline Soaring Society

12/18/2008 - The linked-in live Google maps stopped working, for some unknown reason. The static images below will have to do for now. The Marshall/Crestline map can be viewed in larger form.

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Here are some Google maps showing how to get from the Airpark up to Marshall Peak or Crestline. The trips to Marshall Peak and Crestline both take 25-35 minutes.
Going to Marshall involves a couple of miles on a dirt road, 2N40. There are paved roads all the way to Crestline, and they're kept plowed in the winter, though the Crestline parking area may be full of snow.

Airpark LZ to Waterman Ave./Hwy 18 & Up the Mtn.
The first map details getting from the Aipark to Highway 18. The Northpark Blvd. route has been favored by most pilots for several years because it was a little shorter and only had a few stop signs; it has recently had three stoplights installed near the University and there is a new stop sign near the Airpark, so the advantage over the Kendall/40th St. route to the South may be history. The southern route is certainly best for visitors, since there are only a few turns. The left turn from 40th onto Waterman (Hwy. 18) can take several signal-cycles to get through, so an alternative is to turn left on Sierra Way, two lights before Waterman, and then catch the 48th St. connector to Waterman, which has no light. Sierra Way north does not connect to Waterman Ave.


Airpark LZ to Waterman Ave./Hwy 18 & Up the Mtn.


Highway 18 to Marshall Peak (1)
After traversing the length of Waterman Canyon, Hwy. 18 briefly goes West along the face of the main ridge. There is a large turnout on the South side of the road with the entrance to road 2N40 at the West end, which is the dirt road to Marshall Peak. There is a 'double-double' yellow line in the center of the highway, representing a barrier that it is illegal to cross. There are three smaller turnouts in quick succession after the big turnout, on the same side of the road. The place where it is legal to cross is in the hairpin turn after the third small turnout - there is a gap in the painted lines. Making this legal turnaround is very risky unless there is no traffic.

Road 2N40 is usually OK for 2WD, but there are a lot of ruts and some rocky places. Since 2000, or possibly earlier, most maintenance on this road has been undertaken by the CSS, about once a year (with a hired skip-loader until 2007, when we bought a tractor with the help of the Foundation for Free Flight).

Go slowly and watch for oncoming traffic. There are few places for vehicles to pass each other easily.

Highway 18 to Crestline (2)
Continue on Hwy. 18 past 2N40 until the Hwy. 138 interchange and take 138 to Crestline. At the first intersection take Crest Forest Drive left through 'Top Town'. Be careful turning at the intersection as oncoming traffic is out of view down a steep incline and doesn't have to stop. Follow Crest Forest as it winds through a couple of miles of residential areas and take the rising left onto Playground Rd. as Crest Forest begins to descend. Follow Playground until you pass a medium-sized green water tank on the left and come to a parking area, which has a wooden sign identifying it as the Crestline hang glider launch.

Map Showing Routes from Highway 18 to Marshall Peak and Crestline HG-PG Launches: Click image for larger view