Roughly 1/4 mile later you'll see another bald area on your right. On your left is a two-track road that heads toward the hill. STAY OFF OF THIS ROAD! The land owner does not want us there. Continue to the north until you see a fence and another cattle guard. You'll go left before crossing and follow the fence line (on right of road) up the hill to the west.

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By the time you reach the top of the fence line you should clearly see the road up to the top. At the base of the steep part of the road is the “Y” (or “East”) LZ. If you are going to continue up the hill please put your vehicle in 4 Low if it isn't already. If you would like to go to the Lower (“North”) Bench you can turn around and veer left and cruise around to the north. You'll see a concrete monument with a windsock: this is the North Bench.

Road Conditions: Rough dirt and depending on time of year and recent weather conditions, could be soft in places and challenging. When you contact the local sponsor, they will know the road condition.

Parking: Cleared areas for parking up to 10 cars away from launch.

Facilities: None.

Set-up Area HG: Generous flat area behind launch. Do not park directly downwind of vehicles

Set-up Area PG: Generous flat area behind launch. Do not park directly downwind of vehicles

 

Flying and Local Weather Wisdom

The simplicity of the round hill makes for some great options in the right conditions. Yet it is easy to overlook some more complex scenarios that may exist. First and foremost is the LCR inversion.

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The top of Merriam Crater is the same approximate elevation as the 2 Bar 3 restaurant-bar you passed on your way to the hill: 6,400 ft. The top of Merriam is 6,800 ft., close to the average elevation of Flagstaff. If you continued out Leupp Rd. you would come to the town of Leupp which is an historic crossing point of the Little Colorado River (LCR) which lies at 4,700 ft. From this point the road begins to climb up to the mesas and mountains of the Hopi and Navajo reservations making for a 2,300 ft. deep valley that gets deeper as it nears the Grand Canyon.

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Most nights this valley is filled with cool air and a thick inversion forms. The inversion usually builds up beyond the top of Merriam each night. To better understand what is going on, the locals look at the Winslow and surrounding Skew-T charts to get an idea of what is happening in the LCR. We also look at the winds aloft in Flagstaff and for around a 50-100 mile area but sometimes the Winslow data usually shows us the inversion a little more clearly.

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If it is a standard high pressure day with light winds aloft you'll find that the day will sometimes start out light and variable and as the day progresses become more northerly, even if there are light winds aloft from another direction. If there are strong winds aloft and you get to the hill to find light winds on the surface, plan on calling it quits early before the inversion breaks. When you start to see a light base flow become still and conditions become variable/switchy, the locals have learned this is a warning and you should go home to fly another day.

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Ground clearance mid-day: For the aspiring P3 or the hungry P4, this has seemed to cause more incidents at Merriam than any other issue. When thermal flying mid-day, remember you are not ridge soaring and the closer to the hill you are, the smaller, sharper and less organized the thermals are as you are flying into the base of them. The best pilots at Merriam watch the cycles carefully, launch at the end of a lull and fly into the top of the thermals that have traveled up the valley and thus are farther away from the mountain and launch area. They often always pass up thermals near launch to get out away from the hill and into a more usable piece of lift. You don’t want to be the pilot that was scratching near the hill and left their own crater in Merriam Crater.

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Some wonderful glass-offs can kick off as the shadows get long in the late afternoon. Time it just right and you can be floating in soft, buoyant air well above launch until sunset. Conditions just before and after sunset can quickly change, go catabatic and go variable at times.

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Finally, keep in mind that Merriam Crater is somewhat featureless and round, so it's easy to forget what "side" of the hill you are on. Always be cognizant of wind direction to avoid getting pulled into side-hill venturi and sink. The cinders are a little softer than dirt, but not much.

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Keep site briefing and situational awareness in mind at all times and give extra safety margin due to high desert conditions. Conditions can change rapidly, especially during the summer monsoon season when either nearby overdevelopment, virga, or gust fronts from distant thunderstorms, can kick up nasty unpredictable and non-paragliding type flying weather quickly. Please be an active pilot. Keep final glide/approach to landing zone over land-able terrain. Clear the LZ immediately. Dust devils are not just a phenomenon of the lower desert. The high country gets them, too. Kiting is not allowed in the entire area, especially launch, past 9 AM and before 6 pm for obvious reasons.

 

Hot days in the summer and below-freezing weather in winter are extremely unforgiving on unprepared pilots, outdated equipment and pilots not giving extra margin of safety within their operating limitations. Adequate preparation, a sufficient understanding of local weather forecasting and a local on-site briefing is required. Dehydration is a real possibility even during winter months. Give yourself an extra margin for error due to the terrain and weather conditions. 

 

Special Note on Thermal Flying:

Thermal conditions create a demand for pilots to not only have solid ground handling skills with a connected feel to their glider, but also a thorough understanding of how the local weather conditions play into the forecast models in order to be sufficiently prepared for a short launch window that demands certain launch techniques. Proficiency in high-wind-with-gusts kiting, no-wind forwards and light-wind dynamic reverse launches on shallow slopes are crucial for many of our sites and conditions.

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Please be aware that strength of conditions will determine if it is better to a.) launch between the thermal cycle, when speeds are zero or light, to then fly away into the next thermal approaching the hill with ample clearance from the terrain, or b.) pull glider up and launch glider directly into the thermal cycle blowing into launch.

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Many times launching during a zero- or light-wind cycle between the stronger thermals is not only a safer window, but a better plan to capitalize on the launch cycles as well as the flight plan.

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It was common to see many pilots "waiting for the wind" (which is the thermal) to cycle through launch because they are not comfortable and/or proficient with forward and light wind launch techniques, only to experience a stronger cycle than anticipated once their glider was overhead.

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Pilots most accustomed to launching in prevailing winds, onshore winds and lighter thermal ridge lift need local, and perhaps local professional, expertise and guidance to gain the needed insight to fly our sites safely.

All pilots must read the General Site Guidelines prior to arrival.

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Restrictions: No airspace restrictions in the immediate area. Know where the Navajo Nation begins to the east of launch. Please refer to the “Know Before You Go” section on this page, above.

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HG and PG Designated Landing Zones

Landing zone information has been covered above. Do not overfly cars and spectators. Do not scratch, especially during thermic parts of the day.

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Mini/Speed Wing Rules and Guidance

Merriam is a rather flat glide to any LZ, as such, true speed wings should only be flown from the upper North side and with caution regarding shallow launch. Mini wings with reasonable glide may be flown from either upper North or East launch areas. Low-glide wings will need to choose either the North Bench LZ or attempt to glide around northeast ridge for East LZ. However, due to few obstacles, landing may be reasonable anywhere.

 

As with all mini/speed wing flying, proximity flying should only be attempted by those familiar with the practice. The shallow slope of the terrain demands situational awareness at all times.

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High pressure may create significant low-level thermal turbulence. This is of special consideration to small wings flying low, as sudden sink may cause ground contact/impact as well as severe unpredictability in collapse behavior. Early morning and late afternoons that show appropriate conditions are the allowable times to fly small wings here.

 

Due to generally low clearance flight conditions, barrel rolls are not advised unless pilot is able to establish adequate ground clearance. "Swooping" may be acceptable given close attention to LZ traffic. "Carving" type flying may be acceptable due to terrain angle which can be matched with smaller wings.

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It is imperative that the mini/speed wing pilot understands and respects all flight and landing patterns as well as the fact that these wings generally travel faster than standard paragliders. It is generally accepted that the slower wing always has the right of way, and the faster wing must yield.

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Beware of any hazards and keep situational awareness at all times. Hazards include crowded LZs with automobile hazards, sagebrush in non-established landing areas, sharing airspace with other pilots, low slope angle, and challenging launches due to low slope angle.

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Do not fly when there is any chance for potential of "ground effect" thermal activity.

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Mini/Speed Wing, HG and PG Designated Landing Zones

Landing zone information has been covered above. Do not overfly cars and spectators. Do not fly close to the terrain, especially during thermic parts of the day.

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Note: Pilots must familiarize themselves with this information before arriving, and this information does not replace the need for an in-person site briefing from a qualified, local pilot or instructor familiar with the area and experienced in flying the site.

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