Cold Meadows US Forest Service Airport
U81 · Warren, ID · 7,030 ft elevation · var 17E · Non-towered
Airport information
- FAA LID
- U81
- Coordinates
- 45.2948, -114.9456
- Elevation
- 7,030 ft MSL
- Magnetic variation
- 17E
- Sectional chart
- GREAT FALLS
- Airport use
- Public
- Control tower
- No
- ARTCC
- SALT LAKE CITY (ZLC)
- Flight service (FSS)
- BOISE
- NOTAM facility
- BOI
- Attendance
- UNATNDD
- Segmented circle
- Yes
- Wind indicator
- yes
- Activated
- 1947/08
- Distance from city
- 0 NW
Weather
METAR observed
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TAF forecast
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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-21
| Event | Local (PDT) | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Morning civil twilight Loggable night ends | 04:14 AM | 11:14Z |
| Sunrise | 04:52 AM | 11:52Z |
| Sunset | 08:31 PM | 03:31Z |
| Evening civil twilight Loggable night begins | 09:09 PM | 04:09Z |
Plan a flight from U81
Night operations
- Pilot-controlled lighting
- Usually keyed on CTAF 122.9 — confirm the click sequence in the Chart Supplement ↗
FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are in the live weather panel above.
Traffic pattern
- Landing
- Rwy 16 · 163°
- Pattern
- left (turns left)
- TPA
- 8,000 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
- CTAF
- 122.9
Enter the left downwind for Rwy 16 at 8,000 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).
Runway 16/34
4,550 ft × 90 ft · TURF-DIRT (Fair)- Heading
- 163° mag · 180° true
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Approach obstacle
- Trees, 35 ft, 0 ft from threshold, 0 ft B of centerline
- Heading
- 343° mag · 360° true
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Approach obstacle
- Hill, 130 ft, 450 ft from threshold, 0 ft B of centerline — 3:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
| Runway | Length | Your margin |
|---|---|---|
| 16/34 | 4,550 ft |
Communication frequencies
| Service | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CNTR | 128.05 | SALT LAKE CITY CNTR |
| CTAF | 122.9 |
Nearby navigation aids
| NavAid | Type | Freq | Radial / Dist magnetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| LKT · Salmon | VOR-DME | 113.50 | r277° / 40 NM |
Chart Supplement FAA A/FD
Open PDF ↗Preview Chart Supplement
VFR sectional
Services
- Bottled oxygen
- NONE
- Bulk oxygen
- NONE
- Airframe service
- NONE
- Powerplant service
- NONE
- Parking
- tiedowns
Ownership & management
Remarks FAA
- ESTABD PRIOR TO 31 DEC 1958.
- NO WINTER MAINTENANCE.
- VERY HIGH DENSITY ALT FACTOR DURING SUMMER MONTHS.
- RODENT ACTIVITY ON AND INVOF ARPT.
- BE ADVISED USFS RECOMMENDS LEFT TURNOUT DOWN COTTON WOOD CREEK AFTER DEPARTING RY 16.
- NO TELEPHONE AVBL AT ARPT.
- RY MAY BE SOFT IN EARLY SPRING.
- RUBBER WATER BAR STRIPS ON RY.
- BIG GAME ANIMALS AND LIVESTOCK ON & INVOF RY.
- FOR CD CTC SALT LAKE ARTCC AT 801-320-2568.
- WHEN WIND CONDS PERMIT LND RWY 34; DEP RWY 16.
- RWY 16/34 FIRST 500 FT OF RWY 34 VERY ROUGH.
- UNPAINTED ROCK BDRY MKRS.
- A WALL OF 35 FT+ TALL TREES LCTD AT 0 FT ON CNTRLN.
- RWY 16 +35 FT TREES AT 10 FT ON CNTRLN; +30 FT TREES AT 5 FT 50 FT LEFT.
- 125 FT TIMBERED RIDGE AT 350 FT & 200 FT LEFT.
- ONLY 20 FT - CTR PTN OF RWY LEN IS DIRT & USED FOR TKOF & LDG.
Nearby airports
Weather is live from the Aviation Weather Center; airport facility data is from the FAA NASR (28-day cycle). For planning and education only; always verify against official sources. Open U81 in a full tool: METAR/TAF decoder, crosswind calculator, sun & night times, or the density altitude calculator. Planning from here? Find the nearest airport with fuel or an approach, or check whether an IFR alternate is required.
About U81
Cold Meadows US Forest Service Airport (U81) is an airport in Warren, ID, at 7,030 ft MSL. It has 1 runway, the longest 4,550 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for U81, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.
Does U81 have a control tower?
No. Cold Meadows US Forest Service Airport is a non-towered (pilot-controlled) airport; use the published CTAF/UNICOM on the Comms & NavAids tab.
What is the longest runway at U81?
Cold Meadows US Forest Service Airport has 1 runway; the longest is 4,550 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.
Where is U81?
Cold Meadows US Forest Service Airport is in Warren, ID, at an elevation of 7,030 ft MSL. Coordinates: 45.2948, -114.9456.
Fly out of U81 often?
Save U81 as your home base in the SkyReady app for a one-tap Go/No-Go readiness brief, weather alerts, and automatic FAA currency — free to log.