Hatcher's Pass

AK
61.7611°, -149.3140° Directions ↗

Checking for active TFRs… Verify on the FAA ↗

Showing Paragliding — switch wings up top ↑
Flyable
Low confidence · · Run: ECMWF
Flyable but demanding — needs P5 P5
NESW 202° SSW
Current conditions
Flyability score
66
/100 · paragliding
Wind
1
mph base
Gusts
9
mph
Direction
SSW
202°
Aloft
mph
Thermals
Calm
base ~1955ft
Temp
50°
F
Cloudbase
6,519
ft MSL
Elevation
4,564
ft MSL
Sunrise
5:21 AM
local
Sunset
10:45 PM
local
Sign in to log whether you flew here today.

Where it is

Loading map…
Flyable Caution / slim window Not flyable
What we look for at Hatcher's Pass

Wind direction

S (170°) → W (280°)

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

Ideal speed

5–10 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.

A summer-only alpine flying area above Palmer with launches for almost any wind direction. Marmot, the main launch, is SW-facing and flies best straight-in from the S/SW at 5-10 mph; too much east or west puts rotor on the face. Lake Hill/Summit Lake adds a west option (around 270), and Eldorado and Nixon's Nose cover other directions. Primarily thermal, often boosted by strong valley flow — over-development is common, so watch for building cumulus. Treeless terrain with clear launches and LZs. The Hatcher Pass road is only open roughly July to late September.

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

Next 7 days How calls are made

Thursday Flyable flyable 5am–7am
5a
1g5
N
6a
1g5
N
7a
1g6
NNW
8a
0g6
NW
9a
1g6
SSW
10a
2g7
SSW
11a
3g9
SSW
12p
4g12
SSW
1p
5g14
SSW
2p
6g16
SSW
3p
6g17
SW
4p
6g17
SW
5p
6g17
SW
6p
6g17
SW
7p
5g15
SW
8p
3g13
SSW
9p
1g9
SSW
10p
1g6
ENE
Flyable 5am–12pm — best around 5am: 1 mph N, gusts 5. 3 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
🌅 Wonder windGlass-off possible 10pm — smooth, light ENE ~1 mph, clear evening sky, the day heated up well.
– Light, smooth wind✓ Straight in the window✓ Wind dying off into evening✓ Clear skies (radiative cooling)✓ Day built a thermal layer
Friday Flyable flyable 5am–8am
5a
1g6
NNW
6a
2g6
NNW
7a
1g6
NNW
8a
1g6
N
9a
0g6
E
10a
1g6
SSE
11a
2g8
S
12p
3g10
SSW
1p
3g12
SSW
2p
4g13
SSW
3p
5g14
SSW
4p
5g14
SSW
5p
5g14
SSW
6p
5g13
SSW
7p
4g12
SSW
8p
3g11
SSW
9p
2g9
SW
10p
1g7
WSW
Flyable 5am–12pm — best around 5am: 1 mph NNW, gusts 6. 5 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
🌅 Wonder windGlass-off possible 9pm–10pm — smooth, light WSW ~1 mph, clear evening sky, the day heated up well.
✓ Light, smooth wind✓ Straight in the window– Wind dying off into evening✓ Clear skies (radiative cooling)✓ Day built a thermal layer
Saturday Flyable flyable 5am–8am
5a
1g5
N
6a
1g5
N
7a
1g5
N
8a
0g5
N
9a
1g6
SSW
10a
2g7
SSW
11a
2g9
SSW
12p
3g10
SSW
1p
4g12
SSW
2p
4g13
SSW
3p
5g15
SSW
4p
6g16
SSW
5p
6g17
SSW
6p
6g18
SW
7p
6g17
SW
8p
4g15
SW
9p
3g12
SSW
10p
1g9
S
Flyable 5am–1pm — best around 5am: 1 mph N, gusts 5. 4 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
Sunday Slim window flyable 5am
5a
2g5
N
6a
2g7
N
7a
2g7
N
8a
1g8
NNE
9a
1g8
SSE
10a
3g8
S
11a
3g10
S
12p
4g11
S
1p
4g13
S
2p
5g14
S
3p
5g15
SSW
4p
6g16
SSW
5p
6g17
SSW
6p
6g17
SSW
7p
5g17
SSW
8p
4g15
SSW
9p
4g13
SSW
10p
3g12
SSW
Flyable 8am–12pm — best around 5am: 2 mph N, gusts 5. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Monday Flyable flyable 7am–10am
5a
1g7
ESE
6a
1g7
ESE
7a
2g7
SE
8a
3g7
SE
9a
4g7
SE
10a
4g8
SE
11a
4g8
SE
12p
4g9
SE
1p
4g10
SE
2p
4g12
SE
3p
4g14
SE
4p
4g15
SE
5p
3g17
SE
6p
3g17
ESE
7p
3g17
ESE
8p
3g17
E
9p
3g17
E
10p
3g16
E
Flyable 5am–10am — best around 7am: 2 mph SE, gusts 7. 4 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
Tuesday Not flyable no window
5a
2g13
NE
6a
2g13
ENE
7a
2g14
ENE
8a
3g14
NE
9a
4g15
NE
10a
5g15
ENE
11a
5g16
ENE
12p
5g16
ENE
1p
4g17
ENE
2p
4g17
E
3p
3g17
E
4p
3g17
ESE
5p
3g17
ESE
6p
3g15
ESE
7p
3g15
ESE
8p
2g15
ESE
9p
2g16
E
10p
2g16
ENE
Rain in the forecast — not flyable.
Wednesday Caution workable 8am–9am
5a
0g8
N
6a
0g8
N
7a
0g7
N
8a
0g8
S
9a
1g9
SSW
10a
1g9
S
11a
2g10
SSE
12p
3g10
SSE
1p
3g11
SE
2p
4g12
SSE
3p
4g12
SSE
4p
4g13
SSE
5p
4g13
SSE
6p
4g13
SSE
7p
3g13
SSE
8p
2g13
SSE
9p
2g13
SSE
10p
1g13
S
Borderline only 8am–9am — best around 8am: 0 mph S, gusts 8. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
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 — 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.