Winchester Bowl
📍 California , Riverside County · Nearest city: Green Acres (2 km)
12 XC score / 100 · takeoff at 563 m · 📍 View on map
Coordinates and external links
33.72980, -117.06300Takeoff orientations
Green = good orientation · Yellow = possible · Gray = not suitable
Why this site has thermal potential
| Factor | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspot density (5 km) | 0 | Low |
| Avg thermal probability | 0.00 | Based on thousands of aggregated IGC flights |
| Solar orientation | 0.39 | Slope faces south in northern hemisphere |
| Own flight history | 0.00 | Thermals detected in platform IGC tracks |
Takeoff description
Aside from the one shown on the map (primary launch) there are also launches facing West, East and even North. ** Update ** I saw two launches one up top which is a small SW facing launch and one about 30-40 meters down which is more South facing and a bit bigger. It's about a 20 minute walk from the base to the top I would guess.
Rules and notes
There does seem to be an airport to the East of the ridge so you probably don't want to get too high here.
Pilot comments
The wind at Winchester Bowl tends to be stronger than Soboba so it is used as a backup site when Soboba is too weak to soar. There isn't a lot of room there so more than 4-5 in the air at a time is a crowd, unless it happens to be a lifty day where everyone can spread out. ** More Comments **: I flew this site after hearing about it from a few different people. I arrived early in the afternoon around 2PM but waited until 4:30PM far the cycles to calm down. This seems like an evening soaring site. The wind for the day was forecasted to bet 8-10mph West but once there it was a sustained 12-15mph from the South so don't trust the forecast for this site too much. For the South wind the lower launch worked very nicely with a bit lighter and consistent wind then the launch up top.
Nearby sites
Menifee (39) · mt bachelor (16) · Soboba (12) · Bee Canyon LFB (9) · Idyllwild (3) · Elsinore (49)