Glen Rose, TX, is a small town roughly between nowhere and nothing, west of Waco and SW of Dallas, and Dinosaur Valley State Park is just outside of Glen Rose.  I found a nice slope inside the park overlooking a graceful bend in the Paluxy River that faces roughly SE to SW, with most of the slope facing due south.

The frontside of the slope is covered in mountain juniper, but has a few holes where you can see out and land.  A trail runs up the ridge and requires a crossing of the river from the parking area, but this shouldn’t be a problem unless the water level is quite high.
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Texas -Travis county (about 5 miles west of Austin.)

Mansfield Dam.

Off of 620, a few miles south of 620 and 2222. 30 deg 23.672′ N and 97 deg 54.538′ W, at an altitude of 751 feet.

We fly out of the parking lot at the north-west side of the dam. It’s good in south to south west winds, and the dam itself also creates some good thermals, so you can fly with no wind if you have a light  enough plane.

Note that this isn’t a good place for beginners, or for combat, or for planes that aren’t reliable. If your plane goes down, it could easily go down in tall trees, rugged terrain, on the dam itself (which is closed due to 9/11 paranoia) or even in the water. Also, if you don’t get any lift right after your first throw, you’re not likely to be able to bring your plane back. So until you get a feel for the place, I suggest flying an electric plane (Zagi 400x works well, and will slope with no motor use in 5-10 mph), or a floater with a hi-start (giving you plenty of altitude to work with.)

You can get an idea of the weather there, here:

http://www.kvue.com/images/liveimages/travis.jpg

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Thanks, David. Find other slope info at David’s site and an email link if you are going to be in the area.
http://msinow.com/rc/slope_soaring_in_north_texas.htm

Denton County Sites:
Lake Ray Roberts Dam: Slope faces SSE, NNW. Aerial photo of the dam.

Directions: Go north on I-35 about 9 miles past Denton to Exit 478. Turn right on FM 455. Go several miles until you cross the dam, then make first right and follow it back to the mid point of the dam, the road ends there at a parking lot. There are restrooms, playground, and covered picnic tables. The park is a $3.00 self pay park. There is a drop box with instructions by the restrooms. To give you an idea how far this is, Exit 478 on I-35 is 67 miles north of north loop 820 and I-35W in Fort Worth. Not sure how far north of loop 635 and I-35E in Dallas.

Notes: S face is grass, N face is rock. I have been told the S face is a delight to fly — nice long grassy slope with plenty of lift, no obstructions. There is a road across the top of the dam, but it is not overly crowded and the slope is plenty tall to avoid any need to stray too close to the road.

Lewisville Lake Dam: I’ve heard that this is a flyable slope, but that flying is not allowed and they will run you off if you try.

Thanks, David. Find other slope info at David’s site and an email link if you are going to be in the area.
http://msinow.com/rc/slope_soaring_in_north_texas.htm

Tarrant County Sites:
Benbrook Lake Dam: Slope faces NNE and SSW Aerial photo of the dam

Directions: Mapsco 87Y. From I-20/Loop 820 in SW Fort Worth, go south on 377 into Benbrook. After about 1 mile you will turn left onto Lakeway, then after about 1/3 mile turn right onto Beach. Park beside the road before you get to the private park/beach gatehouse. Walk to the top of the dam. You can also continue on Lakeway and turn right on Lakeside to get to Longhorn Park at the east end of the dam.

Notes: N face is grass, S face is rock. If flying S face, fly at W end of dam where there is land at the bottom between the dam and the lake so you don’t have to land on the rocks if you can’t get back to the top of the slope. N face is a delight to fly — nice long grassy slope with plenty of lift, no obstructions or roads. Warning: this site is about 1 mile from the T-Birds R/C field, more or less depending on which end of the dam you are on. The field is on Mapsco 87W. Make sure you know where the field is and PLEASE take appropriate precautions for channel control. I suggest you drive over and post a note on their board or something similar to avoid shooting someone down or having your plane shot down, then remove the note when you are done.

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