- Site Rating: Unofficially a P2
- North Launch Elevation - 1,830'
- South Launch Elevation - 1,680'
- LZ Elevation - 180'
- Best Months to Fly: April - August but it’s flyable all year round
- Best Time to Fly: Given an 8:30 PM setting sun, thermaling is best from 1 to 3:30 pm and glass off usually from 4 to 6:30 pm. Tiger is rarely flown before 1 PM as it is an afternoon soaring site.

Tiger Mountain is a beautiful place to fly. Extensive work has been done on both the north and south launch: trees have been cleared, grass planted, bathrooms installed, and the north launch has a strip of turf. Much of this has been done thank's to Team Chirico's efforts over the past 15 years. The town of Issaquah officially lists paragliding at tiger Mountain as a community treasure.

Tiger is flyable with winds from the south, west and, preferably, the north. During peak season, Tiger Mt. provides prolific lift for beginner pilots to enjoy hour long flights. More advanced pilots will find themselves flying cross country.

A soaring flight over launch provides spectacular views of Mt. Rainier to the south, Mt. Si, to the east, Mt Baker and Lake Sammamish to the north, and Seattle’s skyline to the west. It’s beautiful. With extended daylight hours in the summer the last flight is usually around 8:30. If timed correctly one can launch, catch the glass off, and watch the sunset from the air.

Complimenting the great flying are the many pilots who hang out at Tiger. A quick 30 minute drive from downtown Seattle make’s this a favorite location for after work flying. Local pilots often gather for good flying, post flying BBQs, and good company. The popularity of the site sometimes makes for crowded conditions in the air.

Standard ridge rules apply at Tiger: pilot with the ridge on the right has the right of way, first one in the thermal determines direction, gliders on top yield to gliders below, etc. A standard figure eight is flown from a small peak in the mountain, just north of launch and referred to as the Kingdome, to an area just south of launch.

If conditions are right the north and south launches can be top landed. As such gliders on the north launch should be laid out on the east side up against the hill. The west side is used for top landing. Pilots launching should yield to incoming pilots. Top landing is not permitted while horses are present on the north launch.

Local pilots landing at the LZ use a standard airline approach of downwind > baseleg > final. Please make your downwind approach over the trees on the east side of the LZ. The west side contains powerlines and, besides the obvious, mishaps here can jeapordize the site and cost you a lot of money.

North Approach

South Approach

Becuase Tiger's launch is regulated by the Department of Natural Resources and the LZ is King County property there are several guidelines to consider. Here is a complete list (pdf).

As previously mentioned Tiger Mountain is extremely soarable. Most XC pilots work Tiger up to cloudbase, and then, depending on wind direction, fly south to Enumclaw, east towards Mt. Sai or north towards Duval. Due to height restrictions, FAA regulations, and the lack of LZs there is very little XC potential to the west. Due to surrounding airports Tiger Mt. has a height restriction of 6,000.

From Seattle take I-90 east to exit #17, Front Street exit in Issaquah. Head south on Front Street, it eventually turns into the Issaquah Hobart Road, for three miles. The LZ will be on your left with a small grass field and a dirt parking lot running along side. As parking is limited you may find yourself parking on the street.

- GPS Coordinates - 47º 30' 01.6"N   122º 01' 19.1"W
- Google Map

Hike
The Chirico trail, located at the SW side of the LZ is a moderately-challenging 1.5 mile hike up with a 1,500’ elevation gain. An aggressive hiking pace will put you on top in about 30 minutes, with pack; a more average pace will take you about 1 hour.

Shuttle
Riding to the top is a somewhat tricky yet thoroughly thought out process. Once at the LZ ask the local pilots about the blue van with the big rack on top that works in conjunction with the Michael Miller Shuttle service. This van takes you to "the cut". From the cut is a short, flat, 150 yard hike to a logging road where you’ll take a 20 minute ride to the top on an old logging road.

Durring the summer months the shuttle leaves the LZ on a regular schedule. You can purchase a ride on the Tiger Shuttle for a minimal fee at the time of loading. For detailed shuttle availability, departure times, and fare prices please contact Mike directly through tigershuttle[at]comcast[dot]net. You can pay cash or purchase shuttle passes through his web site at www.tigershuttle.com.

You can also have alerts sent to your cell phone when the shuttle is running

Web Cams
- Dave Wheeler's Tiger Cam

Weather
- MM5 - 1PM   4PM
- Wind Talker - 206.730.2550

Other
- Tiger Tag - A local competition that takes place all year. Check it out!
- Overflow parking is available at:
• The Edge (11125 Issaquah-Hobart Rd., northwest of the LZ). Walk from this parking lot to the LZ. "

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