Rushford

• Wind directionSE (130°) → S (185°)
• Ideal speed8–18 mph
• Upper limits≤ 22 mph base · gusts ≤ 25

Rushford is a recognized Driftless/Bluff Country ridge-soaring free-flight site in SE Minnesota (Root River valley), referenced by multiple sources as one of the best free-flight ridge sites in the Midwest. No club/USHPA guide with explicit numeric wind limits could be retrieved (paraglidingEarth/Wilder Adventures/MN Free Flight pages did not return site-detail content), so the wind window is inferred from the paraglidingEarth orientation hint (working octants SE, S) plus general bluff ridge-soaring knowledge. Launch faces roughly SSE (~150-160 deg), so it works best on south-to-southeast wind. Ideal ~130-185 deg at 8-18 mph for steady ridge lift; marginal/cross edges ~110-210 deg. As a ridge-soaring (not thermal-launch) bluff, it needs a fairly straight-on, smooth wind; lighter SE component can underwork the ridge while too-westerly or too-easterly goes cross and risks rotor off the bluff terrain. Hazards typical of Driftless bluffs: rotor and curl-over in the lee, gradient/over-the-back blow-back risk above ~20-22 mph base, mechanical turbulence near tree lines, and limited LZ options in the river valley. Best in steadier morning/evening ridge conditions or laminar pre/post-frontal SE-S flow. Verify current access, rating requirement (likely P2/H2+ with site intro), and exact launch orientation with Minnesota Free Flight / local pilots before flying.