Wonderwind
All sites Alaska

Knik River Butte AK

AK
61.5083°, -149.0280° Directions ↗
Site guide ↗ ☆ Favorite

Checking for active TFRs… Verify on the FAA ↗

Showing Paragliding. Switch wings up top ↑
Not flyable
Low confidence · · Run: ECMWF
Very gusty (+10 mph) — too turbulent for paragliding
NESW 171° S
Flyability score
30
/100 · paragliding
Wind
1
mph base
Gusts
11
mph
Temp
53°
F
Dew point
48°
F
Elevation
528
ft MSL
Sign in to log whether you flew here today.

Location

Loading map…
What we look for at Knik River Butte AK

Wind direction

ESE (120°) → WSW (240°)

The wind must blow from within this arc. Direction is the same for both wings.

Ideal speed

8–10 mph

Ceiling · Paragliding

≤ 19 mph base · gusts ≤ 23

Top of the range for paragliding (any rating). Switch wings up top to compare. Hang gliders hold roughly 10 mph more than paragliders.

South-facing launch (Knik River "The Butte"). Site-guide South Launch data: ideal 8-10 mph from 120-240 deg, max usable ~12 mph base, gust spread small (~3 mph), so keep gusts under ~15. P2 recommended; conditions outside P2 limits can develop. HAZARD: strong SE winds off the Knik Glacier can pick up suddenly and overdevelop the valley/LZ. Watch for dust in the Knik valley as a warning sign - once visible, pilots have ~5 min to land before LZ winds exceed 20 mph. Glide ratio to LZ ~2.7. Launch is a flat, open, grassy south-facing area reached by a hard left off the main (steep, sandy) trail just below the final band of trees beneath the summit, following it west. Best flown in lighter morning/midday conditions before SE glacier flow strengthens.

Window data compiled from paraglidealaska.wordpress.com, arcticairwalkers.com, public site guides and club resources.

Next 7 days How calls are made

Tuesday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 8:17 PM
7a
1g11
S
8a
2g13
SSE
9a
3g17
SE
10a
4g20
SE
11a
5g22
SE
12p
6g23
SE
1p
6g25
SE
2p
5g28
SE
3p
4g30
SE
4p
4g31
SE
5p
3g27
ESE
6p
2g21
ESE
7p
2g17
ESE
8p
2g17
SE
Rain in the forecast — not flyable.
Wednesday Caution workable 9am–10am 🌅 sunset 8:14 PM
7a
1g8
SE
8a
1g8
SE
9a
1g9
ESE
10a
1g9
ESE
11a
1g9
ESE
12p
1g10
N
1p
1g11
N
2p
2g11
N
3p
2g12
NNE
4p
3g13
NNE
5p
3g12
NNE
6p
3g11
NE
7p
2g9
NE
8p
2g9
NE
Borderline only 9am–10am — best around 9am: 1 mph ESE, gusts 9. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Thursday Caution workable 1pm–7pm 🌅 sunset 8:11 PM
7a
3g11
SE
8a
3g12
SSE
9a
3g13
SSE
10a
3g14
SSE
11a
3g12
SE
12p
2g10
ESE
1p
1g9
E
2p
1g8
ENE
3p
1g8
NE
4p
1g8
NE
5p
1g8
ENE
6p
1g9
E
7p
1g9
E
8p
2g10
ESE
Borderline only 1pm–7pm — best around 2pm: 1 mph ENE, gusts 8. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Friday Caution workable 7am 🌅 sunset 8:07 PM
7a
1g9
S
8a
1g9
S
9a
2g10
SW
10a
2g10
SW
11a
2g9
WSW
12p
2g8
W
1p
2g8
WNW
2p
2g7
WNW
3p
2g7
WNW
4p
1g8
WNW
5p
1g9
WNW
6p
1g10
ESE
7p
1g10
ESE
8p
1g10
ESE
Borderline only 7am — best around 7am: 1 mph S, gusts 9. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Saturday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 8:04 PM
7a
3g23
SE
8a
3g22
SE
9a
3g21
SE
10a
3g21
SE
11a
3g23
SE
12p
3g26
SE
1p
4g28
SE
2p
4g29
SE
3p
4g28
SE
4p
4g28
SE
5p
4g28
SE
6p
4g29
SE
7p
4g28
SE
8p
4g23
SE
Rain in the forecast — not flyable.
Sunday Caution workable 9am–10am 🌅 sunset 8:01 PM
7a
1g12
SE
8a
1g11
SE
9a
2g10
SE
10a
3g9
SE
11a
2g10
SE
12p
1g12
SE
1p
1g14
NW
2p
2g13
NW
3p
3g12
NW
4p
3g11
NW
5p
3g11
NW
6p
2g11
NNW
7p
1g11
NNW
8p
1g11
N
Borderline only 9am–10am — best around 10am: 3 mph SE, gusts 9. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Monday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 7:58 PM
7a
0g8
S
8a
0g9
S
9a
0g9
S
10a
0g10
W
11a
0g10
NW
12p
1g9
NNW
1p
1g9
NW
2p
1g9
NW
3p
1g9
NW
4p
1g8
NW
5p
1g8
NNW
6p
1g8
NNW
7p
1g8
NNW
Rain in the forecast — not flyable.
See the full 7-day & hourly forecast
Current conditions are always free. Unlock the hour-by-hour outlook and every model with Wonderwind Pro.
Get Wonderwind Pro

Reviews

Sign in to write a review

No reviews yet. Be the first.

Send feedback about this flying site

Sign in to contribute

Thanks, it’s submitted for review

We’ll check it against the site’s sources and let you know here when the update is live.

Conditions are an automated estimate from public forecast models, not a go/no-go call. Always check the sky, talk to locals, and fly within your rating. You are responsible for your own safety.