Chicken Strip
{{for|the food|Chicken fingers}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Chicken Strip
| image = USGS topo Chickenstrip airport Saline Valley, California, United States.jpg
| IATA =
| ICAO =
| FAA =
| type = Public (uncharted)
| owner-oper = National Park Service
| city-served =
| location = Death Valley National Park
| timezone =
| elevation-f = 1360
| coordinates = {{Coord|36|48|24|N|117|46|54|W|type:airport_region:US}}
| website =
| pushpin_map = USA California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in California
| pushpin_label = Chicken Strip
| pushpin_label_position = left
| r1-number = ~18/36
| r1-length-f = 1350
| r1-length-m = 411
| r1-surface = Dirt
| stat1-header =
| stat1-data =
| stat-year =
| footnotes =
| stat2-header =
| stat2-data =
}}
Saline Valley Warm Springs Airfield, commonly known as the Chicken Strip, is a non-towered dirt airstrip not depicted on an FAA sectional chart. The airstrip provides general aviation fly-in access to the Saline Valley hot springs in Death Valley National Park. The closest airport to the airstrip is Lone Pine Airport, {{convert|20|mi|nmi km}} to the southwest, and the closest airport with regular airline service is Fresno Yosemite International Airport, {{convert|107|mi|nmi km}} to the west.{{Cite web|url=https://skyvector.com/?ll=36.87632504800816,-118.0112915000909&chart=301&zoom=5&fpl=3648N11747W%20KFAT|title=SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts|website=skyvector.com|access-date=2018-06-08}}
Chicken Strip was built in the 1960s to provide quicker access to the nearby hot springs, sometimes called the warm springs, that are a short walking distance away. Without the airport the only other access to the Saline Valley hot springs is an arduous, {{convert|40|mi|km|lk=on}} dirt road that can take three to four hours to complete.{{cite web|url=http://theraf.org/news/2011/chicken-strip-reopens|title=CHICKEN STRIP REOPENS|publisher=Recreational Aviation Foundation|accessdate=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204074856/http://theraf.org/news/2011/chicken-strip-reopens|archive-date=February 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}
History
- On August 7, 2011 the National Park Service (NPS) closed Chicken Strip due to safety concerns.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2014/january/29/nps-seeks-comments-on-future-of-californias-chicken-strip-airstrip|title=Fate of California's Chicken Strip airstrip open for input|date=2014-01-29|website=www.aopa.org|access-date=2018-04-18}} The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) worked with the NPS to repair the strip. Volunteers from the RAF and BackcountryPilot.org worked to restore Chicken Strip to the satisfaction of the NPS. Chicken Strip reopened to the public on October 15, 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://theraf.org/news/2017/featured-airstrip-10|title=Featured Airstrip {{!}} Recreational Aviation Foundation|website=theraf.org|language=en|access-date=2018-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418225600/http://theraf.org/news/2017/featured-airstrip-10|archive-date=2018-04-18|url-status=dead}}
- In July 2016 Chicken Strip closed because the airstrip had become too rough from storm damage to safely land on. With quick action from RAF volunteers, the airstrip reopened in September 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/chicken-strip-closed.htm|title=Saline Valley’s Backcountry Airstrip Temporarily Closed for Safety - Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-04-18}}
- In 2018 the NPS issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to designate the Saline Valley Warm Springs Airfield as a location "available for the operation of aircraft" and to be charted on a sectional and be entered in to the FAA registrar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Chicken-Strip-To-Be-Legalized-231869-1.html|title='Chicken Strip' To Be Legalized - AVweb flash Article|website=www.avweb.com|access-date=2018-11-27}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=NPS-2018-0008-0001|title=Regulations.gov|website=www.regulations.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-27}}
- On August 19, 2019, the NPS issued an official authorization.{{Cite web|date=2019-08-19|title=Death Valley National Park; Designation of Airstrip|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/19/2019-17714/death-valley-national-park-designation-of-airstrip|url-status=live|website=Federal Register|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822173425/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/19/2019-17714/death-valley-national-park-designation-of-airstrip |archive-date=2019-08-22 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/saline-valley-s-chicken-strip-airfield-authorized.htm|title=Saline Valley’s ‘Chicken Strip’ Airfield Authorized|last=Wines|first=Abby|date=19 August 2019|website=National Park Service|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222011048/https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/saline-valley-s-chicken-strip-airfield-authorized.htm |archive-date=2020-02-22 |access-date=21 February 2020}}
Facilities
Chicken Strip is at an elevation of {{cvt|1360|ft|m|lk=on}} above mean sea level. It has one, slightly up-sloping, dirt runway:{{Cite news|url=https://westcoastflyingadventures.com/2010/05/11/saline-valley-hot-springs-the-chicken-strip/|title=Death Valley and Saline Valley Hot Springs: The Chicken Strip|date=2010-05-12|work=West Coast Flying Adventures|access-date=2018-04-18|language=en-US}}
- Runway headings are approximately 18/36 measuring 1,350 x ~30 ft (411 x ~9 m).{{Cite web|url=https://www.shortfield.com/airstrip?sno=sf_chickenstrip|title=No ID 067 - Chicken Strip, CA|last=SHORTFIELD|website=ShortField.com|access-date=2018-04-18}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.facebook.com/Chicken-Strip-165327670225574/ Chicken Strip Facebook page]