Thomas Mt
📍 California , Riverside County · Nearest city: Anza (5 km)
15 XC score / 100 · takeoff at 1776 m · 📍 View on map
Coordinates and external links
33.59990, -116.65400Forecast next days
Updated: 2026-04-21 02:34 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo · Thermal window 10:00–18:00 local time
Not recommended for flying, cloud base ~1462 m, strong wind (40 km/h).
base ~1462m · wind 40 km/hNot recommended for flying, cloud base ~1762 m, wind 21 km/h.
base ~1762m · wind 21 km/hNot recommended for flying, cloud base ~2131 m, wind 20 km/h.
base ~2131m · wind 20 km/hComposite flyability score (CAPE + LI + wind + precip + low clouds). Cross-check with local pilots before flying.
🌬 Daily wind (next days)
Daily summary (10m wind). Full hour × altitude chart is being added progressively.
Takeoff 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
Mike Harper writes: If you are looking for places to fly near Idylewild you might check out Thomas Mt. Justin and I flew there a couple years ago. We cleared a TO area at 33.599911 -116.653854. There is an area just below launch to land on forest land than needs to cleared of some vegetation. 33.585042 -116.663961. Justin squeaked it in there and I landed next to the Anza High School. The best place to land if you get up would be Garner Valley 33.629535 -116.634438. It's a 100+ acre of forest land clear of trees with a dry steam to land in, much like Soboba without the trees. Check the wind at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryFx?s=anz. Best wind direction is SW which occurs in the early afternoon. By late afternoon the wind has usually clocked around to west making it cross. The RASP always looks inviting for the area. There could also be places along the road to launch to the east towards Garner Valley.
Nearby sites
Idyllwild (3) · Bee Canyon LFB (9) · mt bachelor (16) · Soboba (12) · Winchester Bowl (12) · Palomar (22)