Sacatar Meadows Airport

The airstrip was closed by its owner and operator, the US Forest Service. The closure was not due to a specific accident or economic failure of a commercial operation, but rather a systemic policy shift. Key factors included: 1) Increased liability concerns for the USFS. 2) Prohibitive costs associated with maintaining remote, high-elevation airfields. 3) A change in land management philosophy that favored designating more areas as wilderness, thereby restricting motorized vehicle and aircraft access to promote a more primitive recreational experience.

The site is an abandoned airfield. The physical outline of the dirt runway is still clearly visible in satellite imagery within Sacatar Meadow, but it is unmaintained, overgrown, and officially closed to all aircraft landings. The USFS considers it decommissioned, and unauthorized landing is illegal and dangerous. The land has reverted to its natural state and is part of the Sequoia National Forest, used for dispersed recreation like hiking and camping. The popular Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs very close to the meadow, and hikers often pass by the remnants of the old airstrip.

Sacatar Meadows was a US Forest Service (USFS) administrative and utility airstrip, not a public airport for general aviation. Its primary purpose was to support operations within the remote and rugged terrain of the Sequoia National Forest. Operations included logistical support for firefighting (transporting crews, equipment, and supplies), administrative flights for forest personnel, and staging for search and rescue missions. The airstrip was designed for use by specialized, light aircraft with Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities, such as the Helio Courier and Cessna 180/185, which could handle the high elevation (approx. 6,900 ft) and the short, unpaved runway. Its significance lies in its role as a critical access point for managing and protecting a vast wilderness area before modern road access and helicopter capabilities became more prevalent.

There are currently no official plans or active proposals by the US Forest Service to reopen Sacatar Meadows Airport. While backcountry aviation advocacy groups, such as the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), actively work with the USFS to preserve and reopen historic airstrips, the process is legally and environmentally complex. Reopening an airstrip, especially one located near the South Sierra Wilderness, would require extensive environmental impact studies (NEPA process), public comment periods, and a long-term maintenance agreement. Therefore, the prospects for reopening in the foreseeable future are considered very low to uncertain.