Temple Mountain | Utah Back Country Pilots Association

Temple Mountain

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Airstrip Info

Frequency 122.90
Elevation 5295 ft
Lat/Long 38.6485, -110.6578
38° 38.91' , -110° 39.468'
Runway 18/36 3500 ft x 30 ft
Dirt, brush
Rwy 36 Uphill 0.4%
Ownership Goblin Valley State Park

Weather

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Information updated April 24, 2023 @ 4:09pm

Temple Mountain 

NOTE: The Temple Mountain Airstrip is now located on State Parks land, specifically an extension of the Goblin Valley State Park. State Parks has allowed us to continue to use the airstrip while the UBCP, State Aeronautics, and State Parks work together on developing a plan for continued access of the airstrip. Please be courteous to any Park Officials that may ask you a few questions when operating in and out of Temple Mountain. And as always, thanks for your exemplary stewardship while we work for establishing the first official airstrip within State Parks land.

Description: Temple Mountain is a north/south oriented with sporadic clump grass, small bushes and ant hills. The surface is typical Utah desert, slightly soft with some give that can add to takeoff rolls.

Runway: 2,600' long x 40’. The surface is a little soft but is easily managed with 850 tires or larger and is relatively smooth. Slopes to the north 0.38%. Approximately 500’ from the south end there is a small undulation. Land beyond it. 

Approach Considerations: The airstrip can be approached from either direction. When landing to the north, use caution for a small undulation approximately 500’ from the south end. Recommend landing beyond it. 

Amenities: Primitive camping areas are available along the airstrip. BLM campgrounds are nearby. Goblin Valley State Park is 5 miles to the south. Trailheads to Wild Horse Canyon and Wild Horse Window hikes are located across the highway. The Temple Mountain mining site is nearby as well.

Windsock: No.

Justin Hodges visited 7 months ago in a Champ 75HP with 6.00X6 tires

Fun spot to land, walked in and saw the petroglyphs. Soil was pretty soft and runway a bit rough. The south end of the runway was in pretty poor condition and soil was even softer and more growth. There is the remnants of a base of an old windsock, so maybe an addition to consider? Walked the runway and pulled quite a bit of the larger brush and moved some of the cactus'. All in all cool place, and got some confused looks from passers by as the runway is barely perceptible from the ground.

2 Likes , 0 Comments


John Belz visited 9 months ago in a Cessna 185 with 29" tires

The strip is bumpy and soft - but dry - where grass isn't holding the sandy soil in place. Cattle hooves and tailwheels sink a couple of inches into the sand. It was good to have a right seater to hop out and steer me through the prickly pear while parking. We encountered a few curious and friendly passersby but no park officials. It was an easy half hour or so walk to the Temple Wash pictographs.

4 Likes , 0 Comments


Mike Bay visited 2 years ago in a Cessna 175 with 8.50+6 tires

As mentioned, this was a bit bumpy with my 8.50x6 tires, but not as bad as I expected. North end seemed to have a fair bit of cactus that I had to dodge around, but overall not bad. Hard to spot until close in. Great little spot.

1 Like , 0 Comments


Nicholas Maughan visited 2 years ago in a RANS S-20 with 6.00X6 MAINS AND 5X600 NOSE WHEEL tires

Came back for a 2nd visit, this is a pretty neat place to be able to land, there's no real parking area, just pull the plane off to the side and flip it around, be cautious though as the runway is clear of thorny/spiky plants but the areas off to the sides are not (had to maneuver around a prickly pear). The Wild Horse Window Hike is right across the road... and the road is close, like really close (see pictures). The strip seemed less bumpy this time, maybe the continued use and the recent rains helped smooth it out, don't get me wrong it's still a bumpy/clumpy strip but definitely doable without the "big" tires, just don't bring little tiny pavement only tires either.

2 Likes , 0 Comments


Nicholas Maughan visited 2 years ago in a RANS S-20 with 6.00X6 MAINS AND 5x6.00 NOSE WHEEL tires

I've scoped this strip out in the past a few times and it always seemed too overgrown for my taste, today as I did a low pass I noticed a much nicer looking surface and quite a few tire tracks (of the airplane variety) it looked decent. So I came back around and landed, it was definitely one of the bumpier strips I've been on, but keeping the taxi speed up a little to keep the nose gear off made it an enjoyable experience. I'll have to come back and hike over to the arch when it's not so blasted hot. No windsock.

2 Likes , 2 Comments


Roy Evans II

I know Cory Wolf would love to do some work on this one...we're waiting to see what happens with it either becoming State Park land or not.

2 years ago
Cory Wolf

Yes! Let’s get a sock on this one and a work party!

1 year ago
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