Airstrip Info
| Frequency | 122.90 |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 6787 ft |
| Lat/Long |
37.8855, -111.4634 37° 53.13' , -111° 27.804' |
| Runway 14/32 |
3500 ft
x 60 ft
Dirt Rwy 32 Uphill 2.8% |
| Ownership | USFS (NW) / BLM NM (SE) |
Amenities
Weather
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Information updated May 31, 2024 @ 11:40am
The Boulder Airstrip is located just a few miles from the town of Boulder Utah, near the intersection of State Route/Scenic Byway 12 and Hell's Backbone road. Hell's Backbone Grill in the town is possibly the best farm-to-table experience in all of Utah. This entire area, stretching from Boulder Mountain toward Capital Reef, is filled with spectacular scenery and wonderful flying opportunities. There is no ground transportation available at all in the town, so ground crew support will be important if you wish to visit the Grill or any of the other restaurants there. There is nice hiking and rudimentary camping available at the airstrip, but bring your own water and pack out your own waste.
The southeast end of the runway can be accessed by car from SR 12. A longer, but easier-to-find track leads from the Hell's Backbone road to the middle of the runway. The airstrip is also the trailhead for the Old Mail Trail that lead from the town of Boulder to Escalante. Because of this, the runway is heavily rutted from vehicular use. Due to rising terrain to the northwest, there is no takeoff or go-around opportunity in that direction for most airplanes. Generally, landing to the northwest and takeoff to the southeast will be preferred.
Approaching from the southeast, the first 500 feet of the runway is very rough and rocky, making it unsuitable for aircraft without big bush tires. The next section up to the midpoint is probably the least heavily rutted, but the area around the midpoint (where the track from Hell's Backbone road intersects) has very deep ruts. If landing on the southeast end it is advisable to get stopped before the midpoint. It is also possible to land beyond the midpoint on the northwest half of the runway, where it is fairly easy to stop due to the uphill grade. That section also is rutted, but it has been done successfully on 850 tires. Takeoffs normally start straddling the ruts on the northwest end, rolling downhill, with the intent to be airborne well before the midpoint. It is all but impossible to avoid the ruts entirely. In high performance aircraft a takeoff could possibly be initiated from the midpoint, toward the southeast.
The fuselage of a wrecked airplane stuck on its nose serves as the base of the windsock mast, but the windsock itself is often in disrepair. Perhaps the wreck also serves as a warning to those not fully prepared for the challenges of this interesting strip!
Landed northwest to south east with a couple survey passes before hand. In the middle by the windsock there in a decent size rut probably from water runoff or traffic on a dirt road that cuts across from the east to west there. North side seems to be a bit smoother and more straight. There are some tie down anchors near windsock. the boulder male trail and a couple other trails nearby which brings in a few hikers so exercise caution with traveling vehicles. A couple locals were very happy to see a plane there also.
I stopped in to see if the strip had been graded yet. The county was supposed to touch it up this spring as well as add some filler to smooth out where the road crossed the strip. So far it’s not been done and I’ve put a call in to make sure they are still planning in it. Overall the strip is in good shape. Some vehicles have been on it and left some ruts on the north end, but they are on the edges and the few that are in the middle are minor. Locals continue to use the strip for camping, horseback riding, shooting, and ATV activity, so make sure to give it a good look before landing.
The BLM rec planner sent me the following email. We are working with them to get the strip graded. He had this report on the strip condition. I did fly over it a week or two ago and it was covered in snow. Not sure if it’s completely dried out or not. Use caution for the north end where ATVs have torn it up, which is common. “ I did take a drive out to the Airstrip today to assess the current condition. The south end appears to be in excellent shape. Yes the vehicle two track is well worn and it seems like the surface is well in line with the unused space of the airstrip. In the middle where the road crosses the airstrip there needs to be some work done to this area to level it out. I know this is always a problem site. The north side was in great shape, however someone has decided to use it for playing in the mud and has torn it up. This does need to be addressed. Unfortunately this airstrip has become more of a playground by locals so we are seeing some new impacts on the airstrip.”
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