Backcountry Aviation Lots for Sale California: Flying Pear Ranch Airpark Parcels Now Available in the Southern Sierra
- Aviation Real Estate Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
After years of careful development, a rare opportunity has arrived in one of California's most breathtaking mountain settings. Flying Pear Ranch (62CL) in the Walker Basin neighborhood of Caliente, California is now offering several 2.5-acre flat parcels for sale, each with access to a private community airstrip purpose-built for backcountry aviation. For pilots who have dreamed of establishing a personal mountain retreat within striking distance of Southern California's finest backcountry airstrips, these lots represent one of the most compelling offerings in the state.
A Community Built for the Backcountry Pilot
Flying Pear Ranch is not a standard subdivision. It is a thoughtfully developed fly-in
community with backcountry aviation lots for sale in California's Southern Sierra Nevada, designed from the ground up around the needs of serious pilots who want a base camp that is as functional as it is beautiful. Each 2.5-acre parcel offers approximately 52,000 square feet of buildable area measuring roughly 175 by 300 feet, with fresh well water delivered to each lot by the Flying Pear Ranch Water Company. Common frontage road access off paved Walker Basin Road, wide double gate entry, and a community taxiway leading to the shared runway make every parcel genuinely operational from day one.
The airstrip itself has a distinguished origin. Originally built by the United States Air Force to practice mountain flying with large aircraft, the runway has been maintained as a smooth dirt surface measuring 3,000 feet long by 60 feet wide at 3,400 feet MSL with a traffic pattern altitude of 4,300 feet. The strip operates in Class G airspace within a Military Operations Area, is charted on FAA and ForeFlight charts, and is surrounded by very low density ranch and vacant land that keeps traffic density exceptionally low. Access requires permission to land, preserving the private, community-focused nature of the airpark for residents and their guests.
All entitlements are complete. Survey staking, percolation tests, soils reports, and a flood study have all been completed, and community agreements and easements are in place to ensure a cohesive quality and design aesthetic throughout the development. The architect, builder, broker, and owner will consult directly with buyers to build out residential and hangar structures tailored to each lot and each owner's needs.
Flying Pear Ranch: A Backcountry Aviation Lots for Sale, California. Opportunity Unlike Any Other
The location in Walker Basin places Flying Pear Ranch at the geographical heart of Southern California's most rewarding backcountry flying region. The Southern Sierra Nevada and surrounding desert ranges are home to some of the most celebrated general aviation backcountry destinations in the country, and from Flying Pear Ranch, pilots have access to virtually all of them within a short flight. Sacatar Meadows, Monache Meadows, Kennedy Meadows, and other Southern Sierra airstrips sit within easy range to the north and northeast. Death Valley's Furnace Creek strip is approximately 52 minutes by air. Lone Pine is roughly 39 minutes. The broad desert basin of the Mojave, the volcanic landscapes of the Eastern Sierra, and the coast ranges of Central California are all accessible on a single tank of fuel.
Fuel logistics are equally well considered. Flying Pear Ranch sits centrally between some of the least expensive avgas in Southern California. Tehachapi Municipal Airport (KTSP) is just 15 nautical miles away. Kern Valley Airport (L05) is 18 nautical miles to the north. Bakersfield Municipal Airport (L45) is 26 nautical miles to the west. Inyokern Airport (IYK) is approximately 36 nautical miles to the northeast. For pilots flying cross-country or exploring the backcountry, the fuel network surrounding Flying Pear Ranch is a genuine operational advantage. By air, the property is roughly 42 minutes from Van Nuys, 47 minutes from Santa Barbara, 55 minutes from Paso Robles, and 85 minutes from Las Vegas.
Walker Basin: A Mountain Setting With Four Seasons and Deep History
Walker Basin is a valley tucked into the Southern Sierra Nevada in Kern County, framed by Breckenridge Mountain at 7,548 feet to the west and the Piute Mountains to the east. The basin sits near the southern boundary of the Sequoia National Forest and has been inhabited and traveled since the early 19th century, when explorer Joseph Reddeford Walker came through the area in 1834. Pony Express routes once crossed Walker Basin on runs between Visalia and Fort Tejon, and the community of Havilah to the north served as the original Kern County seat during the 1860s, preserving a courthouse and schoolhouse that still stand as museums today.
The surrounding landscape rewards every season. The basin enjoys a genuine four-season climate with warm summers, colorful falls, cold winters with occasional snow at elevation, and wildflower-covered spring meadows that draw hikers and photographers from across the region. The panoramic 360-degree views of Breckenridge and Piute Peak mountains from the Flying Pear Ranch parcels are stunning in every direction and at every time of day.
Lake Isabella, approximately 30 minutes to the north, is a major recreation hub offering boating, fishing, windsurfing, water skiing, and lakeside camping on a reservoir surrounded by dramatic high desert terrain. The Kern River, one of California's premier whitewater rivers, flows out of the high Sierra through Kernville and down through the canyon below the lake, drawing kayakers, rafters, and anglers from across the state year-round. Kernville itself is a charming western-style community with restaurants, outdoor outfitters, and a lively backcountry culture that aligns naturally with the Flying Pear Ranch lifestyle. Kern Valley Airport (L05), nestled beside the river at the edge of town, hosts an annual backcountry fly-in and campout that draws pilots from across Southern California and beyond each fall.
Tehachapi, approximately one hour to the southwest, offers shopping, dining, a vibrant downtown, and some of the finest soaring conditions in the country at the Tehachapi Pass wind corridor, one of the most celebrated soaring sites on the West Coast. Bakersfield, roughly one hour to the west via Walker Basin Road, provides full metropolitan amenities including major medical facilities, commercial air service, shopping, and a thriving agricultural and energy industry that anchors the regional economy.
For Southern California pilots who have been searching for a private mountain retreat with direct runway access, a community of like-minded aviation enthusiasts, and a location at the gateway to the region's finest backcountry flying, Flying Pear Ranch offers something genuinely rare. The parcels are ready, the runway is ready, and the mountains are waiting.
Contact Michael Kent at 310-293-7041 or michaeljkentinc@gmail.com for more details and
to schedule a visit.