Wild Cattle (Big Sur)
Big Sur coast (Los Padres National Forest) · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Paragliding
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Best season
- Spring–fall · Coastal mountain conditions
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Paragliding detail
- Flying types
- thermal · coastal-soaring
- Conditions
- A high Big Sur coastal-mountain launch (~3,200 ft) in the Los Padres National Forest where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific. Dramatic coastal thermal and soaring flying with big exposure.
- Ushpa
- P3+/H3 recommended. Remote Los Padres terrain, big exposure, committing glides. Los Padres road conditions: 805-968-6640.
- Intl tip
- Big Sur's Highway 1 is subject to frequent closures from slides — always check Caltrans before any Big Sur trip. The flying here pairs with the region's swimming holes (Big Sur River Gorge, from the swimming & hot springs guide) and the iconic McWay Falls and Pfeiffer Beach.
The guide
Wild Cattle is Big Sur from the air — a high launch (~3,200 ft) in the Los Padres National Forest where the Santa Lucia Mountai…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Wild Cattle (Big Sur) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.9713, -121.453