Bear Canyon Bozeman Learning Hill

• Wind directionWSW (250°) → W (265°)
• Ideal speed3–10 mph
• Upper limits≤ 10 mph base · gusts ≤ 12

Bear Canyon training hill near Bozeman, MT. The Bozeman Airforce club site guide gives explicit numbers: ideal wind FROM 250-265 deg (W/WSW), acceptable 240-285 deg. This is a west-facing learning/soaring ridge - note the paraglidingEarth N/W/NW hint is only partially right; the club guide places the working arc squarely in the W/WSW quadrant. Wind speed 0-10 mph max base with gusts up to 12 mph; recommended gust rate under 5 mph/sec and wind-gust differential under 10 mph. Small, exposed ridge: needs higher wind to soar but you are on the edge - push out and be cautious, NO safe LZ if blown over the back of the ridge. Mid-day thermals can be rough ("rock you") with bubbles of lift as you get low - smoother conditions are early morning or evening. Hazards: barbed-wire fence at bottom of hill (easily avoidable), powerlines at far end of LZ. Min P2 rating for training/mid-launch; P3 recommended for upper launch. Access changed Jan 2021: park at MT Ellis trailhead (MT Ellis Lane), ~2 mi hike, no marked trail; NOT via Bear Canyon Road. Launch/LZ on Montana state trust land - a State of Montana recreation permit is required to hike and fly. Pilots typically fly ~300-400 ft above the LZ. Verify current access with Bozeman Airforce before flying.