Mission Peak

Fremont, CA – Mission Peak Regional Preserve, East Bay Regional Park

Last updated on January 7th, 2026 at 5:38 pm

Quick Overview:

Dave Kilbourne first soared Mission Peak in a standard Rogallo wing on September 6, 1971. Mission Peak was then opened as a Wings of Rogallo site for hang gliding in 1983, and is now flown by pilots under a special use agreement with the East Bay Regional Park District. Mission can be flown as a hike and fly site, or driven to launch through a restrictive “keyholder” program.

Radio Frequency: 147.405 MHz

Site Committee Chairs: Steve Welch & Bob Posey

[email protected]

Hang gliding: H4 or H3 plus additional requirements

Paragliding: P4 or P3 plus additional requirements

Mini-wings: M1 special skill recommended

Park Information

Mission Peak Regional Preserve is open year-round from 6am-10pm
The Stanford Avenure Staging Area parking lot is small and is frequently full, even on weekdays; carpooling is encouraged.
Limited street parking is available on Vineyard Ave on weekends and holidays. Observe the posted No Parking signs and hours/days of enforcement.
Plan to arrive at Mission early in order to account for time to find a parking spot
The hike to launch can take about 45 minutes to an hour and a half, pace depending
The drive to launch takes about 25 minutes
Cattle may be present in the site—do not approach and give them space

Club Rules

Current USHPA and WOR (full or visiting) membership
Follow all park rules and regulations
Follow all FAR part 103 operating requirements
Fly with a helmet and an emergency parachute
Meet all rating requirements
Launch only from a designed launch
Land only in a designated LZ unless top landing
Call 911 in case of an emergency
No commercial activity
Report any accidents, incidents or concerns using this form
Recommended to fly with a cell phone, radio and satellite tracker

Site Requirements

Pilots must sign the Mission Peak Waiver
Pilots must sign-in before flying
H3/P3s must fly under sponsorship supervision
H4/P4s must receive a site intro from a pilot who has significant experience flying at Mission
A maximum of 25 gliders are allowed at the launch area at any time
A maximum of 45 gliders are allowed on site (within the launch area, landing area, or in process of travel between the launch area and landing area) at any one time

Airspace

Maximum altitude over Mission is 6000′
Nearby airways have minimum altitudes of 4000′ & 8000′
Significant general aviation and helicopter traffic—pilots must see-and-avoid and follow FAR 103 yielding rules
It is recommended to fly with an instrument that displays airspace info

Launch

Winds: NW-SW

HG: 0-25mph, ideal 15mpg

PG:0-20mph, ideal 8mph

Glide ratio: 4:1

Paragliders are encouraged to launch lower down the hill in strong winds

Landing Zone (LZ)

Large, flat, obstacle-free; usable for all launches
Frequent hikers in the vicinity of the LZ
Wind varies—common direction is NW
Be cautious of rotor behind trees when wind is south
Uneven terrain in the LZ which slopes down toward the parking lot past the LZ
Obstacles (trees) on the approach end of the LZ
LZ is a thermal trigger and dust devils along the trail are common, especially in summer

Top Landing

Allowed at launch if the launch area is clear

Packing

Clear the “preferred” LZ area immediately after landing to make room for other pilots
Paragliders typically pack up area is between the hiking trails to avoid foxtails and star thistles
Hang gliders typically carry assembled gliders to the gate and break down near the gate, before loading gliders to cars in the parking lot

Site Intros for P3/H3 Pilots

In addition to meeting the requirements outlined in the Site Procedures, H3/P3 pilots must meet the following requirements to fly at Mission:

Pilots must possess basic thermal and mountain flying skills, be proficient in flying in active conditions, and be able to land in restricted areas before being sponsored to fly at Mission
Pilots must describe their thermal and mountain flying experience to their sponsor before flying at Mission
As a guideline, pilots should have flown a minimum of 4 mountain flights from launches over 2800′ MSL, each over 20 minutes duration in thermal lift per flight, before flying at Mission
Pilots must complete at least three flights under the supervision of a member of the Mission Peak Site Introduction Team on the same wing type. At least one of those flights must be a sustained flight under thermic conditions (i.e. not during late evening conditions when there is only ridge lift, or when there is no lift)
The sponsored flight will only count if it is conducted safely and in compliance with the site procedures. It must include a safe controlled launch and landing in the designated landing zone
The sponsor has the authority to determine whether the sponsored flight has met the requirements described above
The sponsor may also decide that only two supervised flights are required, if the pilot is exceptionally skilled and experienced, or that more than three supervised flights are warranted.
H3 pilots must have completed their H4 spot landing requirements.

Pilots can request an introduction from approved sponsors by:

Joining the Mission site introduction Telegram group (best way)
PG: email [email protected]
HG: email [email protected]

When requesting sponsorship:

Pilots are asked to try to request an introduction at least 24h before flying, in order to help sponsors coordinate plans. Last-minute requests are OK, and are at the sponsor’s discretion, but may not be accommodated depending on sponsor availability and capacity
Sponsored pilots are expected to be fully prepared with knowledge of the site procedures. Pilots may be asked questions about the procedures and will be expected to demonstrate knowledge for the introduction to be counted towards their sponsored flights

Site Intro Team

You must be on the Mission Site Intro Team to sponsor H3/P3 pilots

Before sponsoring any pilots, shadow at least one intro by another member of the Site Introduction Team of the same wing type
Brief pilots on all of the topics from this site procedures page
Once a pilot has completed their final sponsored flight, post to the Mission Site Intro Committee telegram group and an admin will enable the pilot’s silver Mission icon on their electronic membership card. Include the pilot’s name and USHPA number in the email
If there are any major concerns with any sponsored pilots, please report those concerns to the site chars [email protected]

Privileges may be revoked for failure to meet responsibilities.

Hang Gliding Sponsors

James Bowe USHPA #84977
Paul Clayton USHPA #41958
Takeo Eda USHPA #93987
Soham Mehta USHPA #95973
Michael Soderstrom USHPA #79621
Roy Spencer USHPA #45805
Anthony Tagliaferro USHPA #87955

Weather Information

Mission is often flyable from March to mid-September
The typical daily weather pattern for Mission under benign conditions is for light and variable conditions to be present in the morning, thermic conditions to be present mid-day, and for a stable sea breeze to be present by mid to late afternoon, producing a mixture of ridge lift and thermal lift
During the Summer months, there is typically an inversion at Mission providing limited top of lift, and creating turbulence at the top of the boundary layer

Vehicle Access

Gate Locks

You must be a key holder to unlock the gate use the back road to drive to launch. The application to become a key holder can be found here
Locks must be closed immediately after passing

Vehicle Rules

A key holder is allowed road access to launch by the registered vehicle and cannot be used by any non-registered vehicle
Valid driver’s license + CA-compliant insurance required
Carpool when possible
Obey all posted speed limit
Yield to hikers
The number of Licensee vehicles in the Stanford Avenue Staging Area will be limited to not more than 20 at any single time.
The total number of vehicle round trips to the launch area will be limited to 19 per day
The total number of Licensee’s and Licensee’s members’ vehicles inside the park (inside the park gate) shall not exceed 10 vehicles at any one time.

Road Conditions

The back road to launch will close for five days after a heavy rain and three days after a light rain