Airstrip Info
| Frequency | 122.90 |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 3946 ft |
| Lat/Long |
38.5293, -109.9946 38° 31.758' , -109° 59.676' |
| Runway 15/33 |
2100 ft
x 25 ft
Dirt Rwy 33 Uphill 0.7% |
| Ownership | BLM |
Amenities
Weather
See more at the National Weather Center
Information updated November 27, 2022 @ 9:17am
Description: Mineral Canyon's airstrip resides in the Green River canyon just south of the Bowknot Bend. River has a tendency to flood during the summer, so a thorough review of the airstrip prior to landing is imperative. Mineral Canyon is one of the three back country airstrips included in the State's "FLY UTAH Passport Program". To learn more, head to their website.
Runway: 2000 ft long x 40 ft wide dirt runway in generally good condition, however can be quite soft due to its propensity to flood.
Approach Considerations: Airstrip resides inside a canyon with rapidly rising terrain within 1000 feet of the airstrip rising over 1000 feet above the landing surface. Base jumping and other low-level aircraft operating around and near the airstrip. Please monitor CTAF and make position reports regularly.
Amenities: None
Windsock: Yes
The runway was very soft on both ends due to cow activity. As best I could tell, there are 2 main cattle trails existing on either end of the runway where they have been going to the water source. Before departure I had to spend about 10 minutes herding them off the runway. They left without much protest.
First visit to Mineral Canyon, the runway has a decent dip in it about 500 feet from the south end and then a few ruts cutting across the runway about midfield. There was some softer material on the northern quarter of the strip and cow tracks and cow pies over a large portion of the strip too. Big Bush Tires won't have any trouble but you have to keep your eyes wide open if you have smaller tires. I can only imagine how bad the mosquitos are in warmer weather, so make sure you plan ahead in the warmer months. The windsock looked pretty beat up might need replaced to be of much use.
The runaway has dried up from previous reports. There are a few ruts from vehicles driving on the runway that look to be in soft sand. I landed headed upriver beyond the ruts and the runway was smooth. There is a drainage rut on the upriver side that is avoidable to the left when headed downriver. Here is a video of landing that show the ruts and runway condition: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jWANtEKVVNhf12Lt5
The scariest thing I can imagine for Halloween is getting to your strip only to find half of it is a mud pit. The main parking area along with the better part of the northern 1/2 of the strip is either underwater or in a state of thick peanut butter like mud. With that being said, its still doable. I counted 270 yards of useable, mostly dry runway from the edge of the brush on the extended threshold of 33 to the point where water starts. Happy Halloween!
We haven't written a history for this airstrip yet. If you would like to provide us with some information about this strip, please contact us today!