Dubbed hang gliding “heaven,” the little town of Dayton, west of Sheridan, Wyo., and on the eastern edge of the Big Horn Mountains is home to some of the best thermals in the northern Rockies. The conditions here allow hang gliders to stay airborne longer and go higher.

The new Hang Glider Fly-In Festivals events are scheduled Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

Tourists stop by - some times by the hundreds - at the expanded pullout during the festival. Gliders often ask bystanders with an extra driver to take vehicles down the mountain. "Over the 22 years that I've been flying we have not lost, me personally or anybody else, we've never lost anything out of our vehicles," says Johann Nield, hang glider instructor and event organizer. "You're asking a stranger you've never seen before to drive your vehicle down - and that says something."

Journalists will be included in the event – also helping take vehicles down the mountain and will be paired with a pilot for an inside view of the sport and event.

Spelunking in nearby Tongue River Cave is also available. Journalists can accompany a guide or navigate the cave on their own with a provided map.

Big Horn Mountains at Sand Turn
Location: Sand Turn - west of Sheridan

Directions: Exit I-90 at Ranchester exit West of Sheridan. Continue on Hwy 14 up Big Horn Mountains to Sand Turn.

Contact: Johann Nield 307-751-1138.