Turtleback Mountain Preserve + Ship Peak on Orcas Island / 龜背山

  • Reading time:7 mins read

Turtleback Mountain rises high above West Sound on Orcas Island. It’s the sixth tallest summit on the vast San Juan archipelago. Together with Ship Peak, they make up the idyllic Turtleback Mountain Preserve.

Turtleback Mountain on a sunny morning
Turtleback Mountain on a sunny morning

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Turtleback Mountain and Ship Peak at a Glance

Access: South Trailhead
Round Trip: 7 miles
Elevation Range: 200′-1520′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes

Orcas Island

Visiting Orcas Island was another effort to dodge the rain this weekend. I last set foot on the island eight years ago while visiting Mount Constitution. Back then, I boarded the months-old yellow pup to be on a date.

Cody and I caught the late morning ferry from Anacortes. After making a few stops, it took a little over an hour to reach the island. Then it was only a 10-minute drive to South Trailhead from the dock.

Through the green forest on South Trail
Through the green forest on South Trail

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South Trail

South Trailhead had only a handful of cars. I looked at the maps beforehand before going north on Lost Oak Trail. Along the way, we went through the beautiful forest over mild terrain.

Halfway up the path was a viewpoint that peeked out to Puget Sound. But I still needed to stand on my toes to take a decent enough photo. It was our only chance at any views on this side of the mountain.

Limited views out to Puget Sound
Limited views out to Puget Sound

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Turtleback Mountain Summit Views

We soon continued before going onto the Ridge Trail. Then we took the Center Loop Trail by a large clearing. Afterward, we got on the Raven Ridge Trail in one mile by taking the west route.

Soon, we hiked clockwise to Turtleback Mountain’s high point. The path bypassed the summit, so we scrambled quickly to the top. Too bad there were no views on this woodsy summit.

Leaving Turtleback Mountain
Leaving Turtleback Mountain

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En Route to Ship Peak

After a short and uneventful visit, we went back to the trail. Then we continued south and crossed Center Loop Trail, followed by Ridge Trail. Shortly, we were at the top of Ship Peak.

In contrast, this tiny bump on Turtleback Mountain’s south ridge offered incredible vistas in all directions. But views to the north were spotty. The gridded flat land caught my eye, which I thought was the best part.

South view from Ship Peak
South view from Ship Peak

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Outro

The afternoon sunshine didn’t last long before the drizzles came. I had expected it since I saw the massive dark clouds over Mount Constitution earlier. We soon left the top in fear of rain turning into a downpour.

We returned to the Ridge Trail after a few photos. Soon, the path angled north at Morning Ridge Trail before joining South Ridge Trail. Then it was under half a mile back to the car before catching the afternoon ferry at the last minute.

Outro
Finding our way home

See more trip photos here.

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