CHGPA/MHGA: McConnellsburg Hang Gliding Festival: Directions to Alternate Sites

The McConnellsburg Hang Gliding and Paragliding Festival

Directions to Alternate Flying Sites

If the winds don't cooperate and hang gliders cannot launch from The Pulpit, the Flight Director may decide to relocate flying activities to an alternate site. Two such sites, Bill's Hill and Fisher Road, are within about a 40 minute drive of The Pulpit. High Rock is about 50 minutes away, and Woodstock is about 2 hours away.

Bill's Hill, from The Pulpit

Take Route 30 West toward Breezewood (this will be a left from the access road that leads to the parking lot for The Pulpit).
Follow Route 30 West for about 25 miles or so.
RIGHT onto Route 915 North (about 5 miles short of Breezewood).
Follow Route 915 for 2.2 miles
Bear Right, following the sign for Hustontown.
Continue, briefly, for about 100 yards or so.
LEFT onto an unmarked gravel road. This turn comes up fast after the Hustontown sign! If you pass an old stone house on the left side of the road, you missed the turn.
Follow the gravel road for 5 miles, until you come to a large clearing and parking area.

Bill's Hill, from Washington/Baltimore

Take I-70 West to Breezewood.
RIGHT onto Route 30 East, at the traffic light in Breezewood where I-70 deadends.
Follow Route 30 East for 4.7 miles, into the mountains outside of Breezewood.
LEFT onto Route 915 North
Follow Route 915 for 2.2 miles
Bear Right, following the sign for Hustontown.
Continue, briefly, for about 100 yards or so.
LEFT onto an unmarked gravel road. This turn comes up fast after the Hustontown sign! If you pass an old stone house on the left side of the road, you missed the turn.
Follow the gravel road for 5 miles, until you come to a large clearing and parking area.

Fisher Road, from The Pulpit

Take Route 30 West toward Breezewood (this will be a left from the access road that leads to the parking lot for The Pulpit).
Follow Route 30 West for about 30 miles or so, into Breezewood itself. Drive through Breezewood.
After the last Breezewood traffic light, make a right onto the road immediately after the Graceville sign that you'll see on the right side of Route 30.
Follow this road for several miles, across a one-lane bridge, and up a hill. Bear right at the top of the hill.
Follow this road a mile or two to a stop sign. Make a right. (possibly East Graceville Road?)
Follow this road a mile or two, downhill through Graceville (look for the cemetery on the left) and then back uphill. Graceville consists of just a few houses and such.
Take your first left after Graceville, onto French Creek Road.
Continue for about a mile, until you reach a small pond that is very close to the road, on the left side.
Make a right onto Burnt Church Road, just opposite the pond, and follow it to the top of the ridge. Burnt Church becomes a gravel road near the base of the mountain.
At the ridgetop, make a right onto Fisher Road.
Follow Fisher Road for about 0.5 miles, to the Fisher Road launch (on the right side of the road).

Fisher Road, from Washington/Baltimore

Take I-70 West to Breezewood.
Make a left onto Route 30 West, at the traffic light in Breezewood where I-70 dead-ends.
Proceed about 1/4-mile. Look for the Graceville sign on the right side of Route 30, and turn right onto the road just after the sign.
From this point, refer to Step Four in the directions for Fisher Road from The Pulpit (see previous section).

High Rock, from The Pulpit

From the Pulpit Launch area, make a left to exit the parking lot, and follow the gravel road back out to Route 30.
RIGHT onto Route 30 East.
Follow 30 East all the way down the mountain.
RIGHT onto Route 75 South. Follow Rt. 75 for about 6 miles.
LEFT onto Route 16 East, at the outskirts of Mercersberg.
Follow Route 16 East for roughly 20 miles. You will pass through Mercersburg and Greencastle, cross I-81, then pass through Waynesboro.
Continue on Route 16 East, through Wayne Heights and into Rouzerville.
WATCH FOR the Midvale Road intersection.
BEAR RIGHT onto Old Route 16, just after Midvale Road.
RIGHT at the stop sign, onto Pen Mar Road.
Follow Pen Mar through a residential area, and then up the mountain.
RIGHT at the stop sign, onto Pen-Mar/High Rock Road. You will know you made the correct turn if you see Pen Mar park on your right.
Follow Pen-Mar/High Rock Road to the top of the mountain.

High Rock, from Washington/Baltimore

Travel to Frederick MD, either via I-270 North (from Washington) or via I-70 West (from Baltimore).
Take Route 15 North at Frederick.
Proceed on Route 15 for about 20 miles, past Catoctin Mountain Park and Thurmont.
Take the Route 550 exit (Fort Ritchie), soon after Thurmont.
LEFT at the bottom of the ramp.
Follow Rt. 550 through Sabillasville and Cascade.
RIGHT at the traffic light at the entrance of the Fort Ritchie base.
Cross railroad tracks, then take the next LEFT.
Follow this road past Camp Louise, to a stop sign.
STRAIGHT at this intersection; you'll pass Pen-Mar park on your right.
Continue following the road, to the top of the ridge.

Woodstock, from The Pulpit

From the Pulpit Launch area, make a left to exit the parking lot, and follow the gravel road back out to Route 30.
RIGHT onto Route 30 Eastbound.
Follow 30 East all the way down the mountain.
RIGHT onto Route 75 South. Follow Rt. 75 for about 6 miles.
LEFT onto Route 16 East, at the outskirts of Mercersberg.
Follow Route 16 East for 12 miles, through Mercersberg and Greencastle.
Just past Greencastle is the I-81 interchange.
Take I-81 South. Proceed through PA, MD, WV, and then into Virginia. Total time on I-81 will be about an hour and 15 minutes.
Take the Toms Brook exit (after Strasburg).
LEFT at the top of the ramp.
Proceed about a mile, to Route 11.
RIGHT onto Route 11 South.
Follow Rt. 11 through Toms Brook and Mauertown.
Enter the town of Woodstock.
Shortly after the speed limit drops to 25mph, watch for a large shopping plaza on your left.
LEFT onto Mill Road (possibly Route 665?), which runs along the north side of the plaza. If you reach any traffic lights within Woodstock you missed the turn.
Follow Mill Road (Rt. 665?) to a stop sign.
LEFT at the stop, onto Woodstock Tower Road.
Go up to the top of the mountain. Woodstock Tower Road is narrow and winding!
Parking will be on your left. The trail to launch will be obvious.

Woodstock, from Washington/Baltimore

Take I-66 West until it ends (past Front Royal).
Take I-81 South.
Follow I-81 for about 10 miles.
From this point, refer to Step Eight in the directions to Woodstock from The Pulpit (see previous section).

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The McConnellsburg Hang Gliding and Paragliding Festival Directions to Alternate Flying Sites