CHARLESTOWN, N.H. – Summer is officially winding down and just a few weeks remain to enjoy the last bits of warm weather “fun days” before fall and back-to-school season are upon us. There is just enough time then, to end the summer with an adventurous staycation, right here in our own backyard.
Considered one of the country’s top spots for hang gliding and paragliding, Morningside Flight Park, at 357 Morningside Lane in Charlestown, N.H., is an expansive slice of barely tamed wilderness that sits atop the rolling hills and fields of the Connecticut River Valley. On a sprawling 150 acres of land with stunning valley views, the flight park is a great location for outdoor enthusiasts of all types, and presents some fun and unique ways to get outside, enjoy nature, and challenge yourself.
The flight school offers classes in hang gliding, paragliding, and power paragliding, with courses from beginning to advanced where pilots can acquire certification. If you are someone not yet ready to take to the skies, try a guided zipline tour instead – for adventurous souls who prefer to remain tethered to the earth.
Morningside boasts over 5,000 feet of zipline with two courses: Mountain Top and Superman. Superman consists of seven zip lines, and two suspension bridges, traversing the treetops at heights of over 50 feet.
The park makes it easy for a family or group to spend several quiet days and nights in nature, camping, swimming, fishing, kayaking, and hiking. There are many sites for tent camping, with firepits and amenities like restrooms and shower facilities. Or, rent one of Morningside’s platform cabins that feature full-sized beds and solar lighting. The Castle, the park’s largest cabin, sleeps 4-6 people, and is perched at the summit. A large, west-facing deck overlooks the valley, where guests can enjoy a spectacular sunset and a front row seat to watch the gliders launch off the ridge.
The flight park began as one man’s dream in 1974 when Jeff Nicolay was searching for the perfect spot to grow his passion for a new, experimental sport: hang gliding. When Nicolay happened upon the dairy farm on Morningside Lane owned by Phil Haynes, he took one look at the endless hills and dramatic summits and asked permission to fly there.
“You have my permission,” was Haynes’ response. “But you have to teach me how to hang glide!”
That storied beginning, as recounted by Nicolay’s daughter and the current interim manager of Morningside, Gisele Dierks, was the start of a 30-year friendship between the two men and the inception of Morningside Flight Park.
Dierks and her small, dedicated team work seven days a week through the summer months, and each day brings a new “cast of characters,” Dierks said. She enjoys meeting people from all walks of life that visit and are interested in learning to fly. Even though the job is challenging, Dierks seems to keep a smile on her face through it all, and has a love and appreciation for the natural beauty and history of the park, and the sport of hang gliding.
See all that Morningside Flight Park has to offer at flymorningside.kittyhawk.com.
