There is really only room for one paraglider to fly here as the ridge is only 50m high on the West side and the area of good flying is very small. If you head South to try and climb the ridge you will find you lose most of your good lift from the ridge in front and start to sink out. As you head North to land you have to cross a spine into another bowl. This was pretty dicey but I just held my course and despite less lift I managed to fly out front of the bowl with enough height to setup for a good landing. The less lift in the bowl means more forward movement so you can squeak out of there. Basically this location has some good rock climbing, and if you fly too then drag your glider along. If you are lucky you may be able to snag a flight at the end of the day and show off to all your friends how cool you are!

From the back South corner of the New Jack City area, there is a small elevated parking area, just around the corner of the big rock formation is an old road or path at least heading SW up to the ridge. Follow this up (10 minute hike tops), and you'll find yourself at the South end of the ridge looking West. I had to kick out and cut down a few plants/cacti to make it suitable for launch but last time I was up there it still looked good, although it's still a very small launch. Rosette launch skills are desirable to avoid tangled lines on rocks or debris. The launch is somewhat wind sheltered by a smaller ridge in front, so after launch be careful of turbulence until you get above the ridge and further North with better airflow. Also because of the wind shelter you may only get about 9-10 mph of gusty wind at launch but 20' over the ridge it could be blowing 20mph (max trim speed for my glider), so just because it seems light at take-off it may still be viable and by the same token don't wait for stronger conditions because up higher they may be badly blown out! If you manage to soar the ridge I would recommend flying to the very North end where it intersects the road coming into New Jack City. Lots of sandy areas here and clean air flow. If you have enough height, try to tack in a bit East from the ridge and you can hit up some road intersections where you will more room to lower your wing cleanly rather than tagging some brush. If you sink out right from the start of launch there are a few sandy areas that 'look' free of plants and cacti, those are what you should aim for. In this case I would recommend killing your glider with a 90 degree turn to get it to all lay down in one clean line. Could be interesting to fly back over the ridge and land where the camping is, but I imagine the rotor is something nasty and there is lots of broken glass around. Not recommended unless you are an expert pilot with full understanding of lee-side landings. I always come up through Lucerne valley, taking Barstow Rd North. From the turn-off it's about 17 miles, you will hit a high point on the road there and the turn-off to New Jack City is just a couple of miles after that. Take a left at the turn-off onto a dirt/sand road, there will be a small structure that is fenced off with signs about a high pressure gas main. Just follow the signs and the most well trodden trails East until you get into the New Jack City Bowl, then trend South towards parking/camping. You can also get here by going South from Barstow, however I have never done this so can't tell you what that's like. I come from LA and GMaps says it is faster to go all the way to Barstow and then travel South but I'm not convinced. None that I know of. None that I know of.

Watch for high winds aloft. Just 20 feet up and the wind had double on me and I was parked and trying to get aerodynamic to maintain my position. I would recommend flying in the late afternoon as things are calming down so you don't get stuck in anything. The wind is a little bit gusty as well which is to be expected from the desert.

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