Which mountains can we fly off of?

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I took a ride to Mt Greylock in the north western part of MA today. It's listed as being in a state reservation so I thought I could find a secluded corner to take off from. There was an environmental police officer at the top so I asked if I could fly up there. He said it wasn't allowed. I know we're not allowed to take off from state parks but I though we could in reservations. I might be wrong so I have to do some more reading. With that said, are there any mountains in New England that we can fly from? The big one that I've had thoughts of is Mt Washington. I'd be surprised if it's allowed but I've seen drone videos from there.
 
Apparently New York State's Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves are also off limits. The Dept. of Environmental Conservation considers drones to be "motorized vehicles" & they cannot legally be launched from state land.
 
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Interesting, as far as I have been able to find there isn't actually a Mass law against taking off from any state/DEP property specifically. Now, that being said in the case where the DEP officer says "stop flying" we're probably out of luck.

I just did a bit of looking around the other day as I'm playing some day trips for foliage photography. Here's my summary table. So far only Connecticut and Rhode Island have passed state preemption laws - hopefully others follow suit.

lXnwE60.png


I live in Connecticut and it is really so much easier as I don't ever have to worry about individual towns having random rules. I use the USGS National Map and/or State of CT DEEP property data layers in CalTopo & GaiaGPS when scouting to help identify spots that may actually be outside of those areas.

I was also mildly amused by the different NE states' first pass at drone laws - it was like a parody of the stereotypes of our individual states. CT trying to be business friendly. Mass doing nothing at first but now working on a BUNCH of laws and they may be pretty strict, New Hampshire's only law is that you can't harass people hunting, and maine's only law is to put heavy restrictions on law enforcement's use of drones. :)

So, re: Mt Washington, currently you *may* fly in National Forests, just not National Parks. Since Mt. Washington is in White Mountain National Forest then it's actually okay as per the forest service - unless there are additional specific regs for mt. Washington. However, there are some restrictions - the Appalachian Trail is prohibited, so you have to avoid that, and there's a pretty large special use airspace to the southwest, so have to be aware of that. Just look on AirMap for better details. AirMap Web App And I'm sure it goes without saying that, uh, it's windy as all get out on Mt. Washington. :)

There must be some other high points to fly from, though, in Green Mountain or White Mountain nat forest. I'm hoping to get up to Green Mountain soon myself. Do note that in Vermont, there is a state law that states that recreational usage must conform with "community-based organizations' guidelines" e.g. AMA rules and FAA requirements. So effectively in Vermont to fly legally you'll need to basically follow 107 rules even for purely recreational flight. Anyways, the hard part I've found in northern CT at least is finding high points that aren't totally tree covered and blocked in. :)
 
Thanks for the detailed info! It might be worth for me to take a drive up Route 93 into NH. The Kancamagus highway is a beautiful area.

I spoke with a DEM officer while I was in Colt State Park in RI a few months ago. He said drones aren't allowed to be flow in the park but the town beach is a few hundred feet away. No problem flying there and I would have the same view. Sometimes a few feet can make a difference in where we can fly.
 
Thanks for the detailed info! It might be worth for me to take a drive up Route 93 into NH. The Kancamagus highway is a beautiful area.

I spoke with a DEM officer while I was in Colt State Park in RI a few months ago. He said drones aren't allowed to be flow in the park but the town beach is a few hundred feet away. No problem flying there and I would have the same view. Sometimes a few feet can make a difference in where we can fly.

Hmm, thanks MassGuy. I've updated RI and MA to show none but reports of officers saying there are restrictions. I've combed through both of their websites and I still am unable to find any explicit statements that drones aren't allowed so I personally would probably still consider flying at otherwise public DEP/DEM property in MA/RI and wait to be told otherwise. Otherwise public and in otherwise copacetic situations, that is. I try to err on the side of caution not just in terms of safety but in terms of annoying other people, too. That's why I like exploring the backwoods mountains and such. :)

Also cool that the officer didn't just shut you down, but gave you the alternative.

Re: a few feet - 100% true! I mentioned the CT DEEP property layers I use in mapping software up there ^^ The USGS National Map is also a good data source to find those boundaries. For example, the Simple Agency dataset shows public lands by owner. https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/...ces/PADUS1_4/SimpleAgency/MapServer&source=sd This helped me find this great little spot not too far from me, it's town property at this trailhead and then DEP property with a rail line running right through a swamp. Pretty clear line of sight down the rail line cut, and an absolutely gorgeous view right now with the leaves in high color in the water! You can see how the overlay looks here:

RST20NN.jpg
 
Interesting, as far as I have been able to find there isn't actually a Mass law against taking off from any state/DEP property specifically. Now, that being said in the case where the DEP officer says "stop flying" we're probably out of luck.

I just did a bit of looking around the other day as I'm playing some day trips for foliage photography. Here's my summary table. So far only Connecticut and Rhode Island have passed state preemption laws - hopefully others follow suit.

lXnwE60.png


I live in Connecticut and it is really so much easier as I don't ever have to worry about individual towns having random rules. I use the USGS National Map and/or State of CT DEEP property data layers in CalTopo & GaiaGPS when scouting to help identify spots that may actually be outside of those areas.

I was also mildly amused by the different NE states' first pass at drone laws - it was like a parody of the stereotypes of our individual states. CT trying to be business friendly. Mass doing nothing at first but now working on a BUNCH of laws and they may be pretty strict, New Hampshire's only law is that you can't harass people hunting, and maine's only law is to put heavy restrictions on law enforcement's use of drones. :)

So, re: Mt Washington, currently you *may* fly in National Forests, just not National Parks. Since Mt. Washington is in White Mountain National Forest then it's actually okay as per the forest service - unless there are additional specific regs for mt. Washington. However, there are some restrictions - the Appalachian Trail is prohibited, so you have to avoid that, and there's a pretty large special use airspace to the southwest, so have to be aware of that. Just look on AirMap for better details. AirMap Web App And I'm sure it goes without saying that, uh, it's windy as all get out on Mt. Washington. :)

There must be some other high points to fly from, though, in Green Mountain or White Mountain nat forest. I'm hoping to get up to Green Mountain soon myself. Do note that in Vermont, there is a state law that states that recreational usage must conform with "community-based organizations' guidelines" e.g. AMA rules and FAA requiremts. So effectively in Vermont to fly legally you'll need to basically follow 107 rules even for purely recreational flight. Anyways, the hard part I've found in northern CT at least is finding high points that aren't totally tree covered and blocked in. :)

One clarification - the USFS permits UAV operations in National Forests with the exception of designated wilderness areas, which is the origin of the "no mechanized vehicles" clause.

In the case of Mt Washington, it is not in designated wilderness even though it is close to both the Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness to the south and the Great Gulf Wilderness to the north. However, it is, itself, a State Park, and so the state park rules will take precedence over the USFS rules. That said, I did not find any published rules regarding UAV operations in NH State Parks.
 
One clarification - the USFS permits UAV operations in National Forests with the exception of designated wilderness areas, which is the origin of the "no mechanized vehicles" clause.

In the case of Mt Washington, it is not in designated wilderness even though it is close to both the Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness to the south and the Great Gulf Wilderness to the north. However, it is, itself, a State Park, and so the state park rules will take precedence over the USFS rules. That said, I did not find any published rules regarding UAV operations in NH State Parks.

Ah, thank you for the clarification sar104, didn't know that bit. Will have to find the gis data for that to add to the complicated mess :)
 
Apparently New York State's Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves are also off limits. The Dept. of Environmental Conservation considers drones to be "motorized vehicles" & they cannot legally be launched from state land.
I've been on the phone for days trying to find how to get a permit for commercial use and I can not get a straight answer. Most people are not in their office (cushy jobs) and few return my phone messages. Those that do call me back cant help and give me other phone numbers to call. If there are restrictions it would be nice if they were listed somewhere clearly so everyone (hobbyist and commercial) could see and read them. And It's also be nice if there was some way to get a permit. I read a lot about drones destroying the tranquility of the woods and wildlife which I find funny since permits are issued for hunting, (loud bangs and dead animals) fishing (killing fish) and snowmobiles, (loud gas powered vehicles) so I feel their arguments against drones is a bit empty. Most small drones at 150+ feet are harder to hear than a plane flying overhead. They'll need clear regulations, rules, and a permit system in place soon. I also read that some places restrict drones flying over head but I'm unsure if they can just make such a rule. I thought the FAA controlled airspace and so local areas seem to control launch and landing as a way to keep drones away.
 
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I have checked all the New England states... Green mountains ok, white mountains restricted by operational order plus it's a moa which requires additional authorization from Air Force. CT, MA, RI, VT and NH do not allow flying in state forests or parks. Get different answers from ME depending on who you call. National seashores, wilderness areas Appalachian trail all off limits.
 

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