Coyote Flats USFS, CA

Coyote Flats Airstrip sits in Inyo National Forest about ten miles west of Big Pine, California, at nearly 10,000 feet elevation. Built in 1968 by the Army High Altitude Test Center, it was once the highest airfield in North America and served as a high-altitude test site for the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, with helicopter operations on the site dating back to 1958.

The airstrip had a single asphalt runway, 5,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, that was never modified or repaired after construction. It closed around 1997–98. The Forest Service subsequently rutted the surface and marked it with branch X's to deter landings, and eventually removed the runway and all structures entirely. The outline of the strip is still visible on the ground.

The area is now popular with overlanders and hikers. Reaching it requires a 4x4 capable of climbing nearly 4,000 feet over 8 miles of shelf roads and switchbacks. Baker Lake, Rocky Bottom Lake, Funnel Lake, and Twin Lakes are all within a 5–6 mile hike from the flat.