Author: shortfield

Land here, before you land out there!

Smith Prairie, ID

A remote, state-operated backcountry dirt strip on the high plains above Anderson Ranch Reservoir, popular with Idaho backcountry pilots for its length and easy access.

43.498501, -115.547997

Priest Lake, ID

A grass-and-gravel Forest Service strip tucked in the pines a few miles from the shores of northern Idaho's Priest Lake.

48.573596, -116.958343

Midway, ID

A remote high-desert gravel airstrip named for the ghost town it serves — Atomic City, Idaho's forgotten waypoint on the road to nuclear history.

43.45586, -112.805081

Magic Reservoir, ID

A grass strip beside a trout-rich reservoir where you can land, camp, and cast a line all in the same afternoon.

43.2795, -114.397143

Hollow Top, ID

A quiet turf strip in the Arco desert that lives up to its old backcountry expression: a nice place to land if your fan quits blowing.

43.32358, -113.59033

Twin Bridges, ID

A remote turf backcountry strip tucked into a high mountain valley along the Big Lost River in central Idaho.

43.943544, -114.110356

Mallard Creek Ranch, ID

A private, one-way turf airstrip tucked into the mountains near Elk City, deep in Idaho's backcountry flying country.

45.613302, -115.324779

Lost River, WA

A private grass-and-gravel fly-in airstrip tucked into the North Cascades, serving a small residential aviation community near Mazama, Washington.

48.649469, -120.501784

North Bass Island, OH

A remote grass-and-asphalt airstrip on Lake Erie's northernmost U.S. island, serving as the lifeline for one of Ohio's most isolated communities.

41.717999, -82.821098

Chambers Island, WI

A grass runway on a remote, off-the-grid island in the middle of Lake Michigan's Green Bay, reachable only by air or water.

45.192562, -87.359333