Turtleback MountainRecent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Fall foliage
Issues:
Water on trail | Bugs | No water source
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This was my first hike in years and it was very easy to follow the path with a few outlooks along th...
This was my first hike in years and it was very easy to follow the path with a few outlooks along the way. The trail has two entrances (North and South); we entered at the North entrance. The trail starts to incline from very beginning and can be very challenging as the elevation quickly increases but don't let this discourage you if you have your heart set on the hike as the overlooks are breathtaking.
Tip: take plenty of water and maybe a snack. The trail does not loop back around so you go back the way you came. There are a couple of loops after the long trek (I did not make it this far) but you go back to the main trail to get back to the trail head. Overall a very fun trail and worth the trek. Day hike
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The views from the Wild Rose trailhead begin within minutes. Within a half mile up the trail, the S...
The views from the Wild Rose trailhead begin within minutes. Within a half mile up the trail, the San Juan, and Canadian gulf Islands, and views out over Orcas are visible. Reflections in the still, calm water added another dimension to the hike.
Wide open grasslands, and Garry oak woodlands cover the southern slopes of the mountain. Ship Peak gives a view of farmlands, and fields of Crow Valley. (with Mt Constitution as a backdrop) Sitting quietly, and gazing out over islands, and farm fields, ( with no other hikers along the way ) made for a peaceful day. On the way down the mountain we followed the Lost Oak Trail ( just opened in June) this trail gives a different perspective, and close up views looking up at cliff faces and oak ledges. The old silvered, lichen covered fence line meanders close to the trail. With the addition of this trail a loop is possible. We also wandered up and around the Center Loop trail, and the Raven..... offshoot, mostly along an old logging road with out views, and not much to look at. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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The small parking lot at the South Trailhead was full when we arrived at 9am. The meadow just below ...
The small parking lot at the South Trailhead was full when we arrived at 9am. The meadow just below the parking lot was mowed and was serving as an overflow lot.
Soon caught up with a large group that was on a guided bird-spotting tour. Other than this group, we encountered just a few parties. Found two benches at the "West Overlook": one with beautiful views to the south, with the Olympic Mountains in the background, and one facing west towards Vancouver Island, could see Victoria in the distance. Continued on to Ship Peak, which had views to the east across Orcas Island. The trail was in great condition. Saw a few flowers, and some birds (including a group of eagles soaring above Ship Peak). Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/[…]/TurtlebackMountainApril2011 Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81349622
Turtleback Mountain, Mountain Lake, Mount Constitution
— Jul 03, 2009
— PLC
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
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The trails of Moran State Park on Orcas Island are perfect for the family or dog-lover. There are l...
The trails of Moran State Park on Orcas Island are perfect for the family or dog-lover. There are lots of easy options which can quickly add up to a full day of walking. We walked around the South side of Cascade Lake, which is a pleasant forest walk to a bridge; the walk around Mountain Lake is longer but more secluded; the top of Mount Constitution is popular, but has one of the nicest sunrise/sunset views in the state of Washington; the trail to Cascade Falls is very easy and short, but there's lots of fun stuff for the kids to do, including walking under the falls and climbing on fallen trees.
On the other hand, the hikes on Turtleback Mountain were mostly disappointing - lots of bland forest walking with tons of stinging nettles intruding on the path. One more note - while almost everyone swims in Cascade Lake, Mountain Lake is actually warmer and much more pleasant.
Ship Peak,Turtleback Mountain,Orcas Island
— Aug 07, 2007
— Robert Michelson
Day hike
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Turtleback mountain on Orcas Island has been saved
for the public. I hiked the south entrance trail...
Turtleback mountain on Orcas Island has been saved Day hike
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This new hike was featured in a P.I. Getaways article by Greg Johnston on 2/22/07 (thanks Greg). We ...
This new hike was featured in a P.I. Getaways article by Greg Johnston on 2/22/07 (thanks Greg). We were going up to Orcas Island for the weekend and thought we would give it a try. It’s great “new” hike, not written up in any guidebooks (yet). See the link below for Greg’s article. We started at the south trailhead and hiked up to Ship’s Peak and beyond, around the Center Loop Trail and back, for a total of 6.4 miles (according to my GPS). Our advice: skip the Center Loop Trail as it’s not very scenic, and no views. The hike up to Ship’s Peak and somewhat beyond is fantastic! Round trip to Ship’s Peak is about 2.8 miles and gains about 800 feet. It starts out on a nice old road and after coming to the Norton Clapp cabin near the top, becomes real trail, recently constructed, it looks. There are flags marking the way beyond the cabin and a sign at the junction pointing the way to the top of Ship’s Peak. The views at the top are really nice, even on a rainy, foggy day like we had. |
 One of the many great views seen on Turtleback Mountain, photo taken by Roger and Kym.
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