Hikes in Washington: The Turtle Rock Trail

Basic Information

• Name: The Turtle Rock Trail
• Where: The McKenzie Conservation Area, WA
• Distance: 2.9
• Elevation Gain: 427 feet
• Max Elevation: 2,274 feet
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Spokane County website

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Topo Map of the Trail

Directions

The Turtle Rock Trail is located at the McKenzie Conservation Area which is a short drive east of Spokane.  To reach the trailhead from Spokane, take I-90 east through Spokane Valley and then get off at the Sullivan Road exit.  At the exit make a left over the bridge and follow Sullivan Road north until it intersects with Trent Avenue.  Here make a right and follow Trent Avenue for about 5 miles before making a left onto Starr Road that leads to Newman Lake.  Follow Starr Road north until it reaches Newman Lake Drive.  Make a left here and follow the road as it winds around the hills surrounding the lake until it reaches the trailhead.

Parking

At the trailhead there is a very large parking lot, but the space can get filled up if people bring their horse trailers since this is a popular equestrian route.  When we parked, there was only a few open spots due to all the horse trailers blocking multiple parking spaces.  However, by the time we got back the horse trailers were gone and there was plenty of parking.

Narrative

My kids and I decided to go and explore a part of the Spokane region we have never seen before which was Newman Lake.  This medium sized lake is located just outside of Spokane Valley right on the Washington-Idaho border.  It was a nice drive through the foothills south of Mt. Spokane to reach the McKenzie Conservation Area that borders the lake.  We decided to hike the Turtle Rock Trail that leads to the lake and then take the Bedrock Ridge Trail back to make a loop hike.  The trailhead for this hike can be seen adjacent to the parking lot with a large signboard:

The signboard explains how the McKenzie Conservation Area is composed of 462 acres of wooded property that has over 3,000 feet of shoreline on Newman Lake.  The signboard also had a map showing the trails in the conservation area:

Adjacent to the signboard the Turtle Rock Trail begins by following a wide ATV track towards the lake:

We did have to stop shortly after starting our hike to apply bug spray because the mosquitos were surprisingly plentiful and aggressive along this trail.  After applying the bug spray it definitely did make a difference keeping the mosquitos off of us.  Fortunately the dirt track is all downhill from the trailhead which meant we quickly passed through the mosquito infested area of the hike.  Along this section of the trail we did have some nice views of the forest and a scenic meadow:

In a little less than a mile we came upon the large wetland region that composes the northern area of Newman Lake:

We continued to follow the dirt track for a short distance south towards Turtle Rock:

We next came upon a large storage building where a short trail led to Turtle Rock:

Turtle Rock is a small rock outcropping adjacent to Newman Lake that had a vague resemblance to a turtle:

My kids and I walked on top of Turtle Rock to take in the views.  Here is a panorama view looking out across Newman Lake from Turtle Rock:

While my kids ate some snacks on top of Turtle Rock, I decided to take out my drone and get some aerial views of the lake.  Here is the view looking west with Turtle Rock visible below:

Next is a view looking north at the wetlands fed by a small creek that runs down from the foothills around the 5,883 foot Mt. Spokane to fill Newman Lake:

This is the view looking east across the lake at the various expensive lakeside properties that surround much of the lake.  I don’t think I would pay high dollar for a lakeside home here just to listen to motorboats all day.  Due to all the jet skis and water-skiers this lake is definitely noisy:

This final picture is looking south across much of Newman Lake:

We spent about an hour hanging out a Turtle Rock before deciding to head back to the trailhead.  My kids were eager to go back because it was so hot out and around Turtle Rock there is little to no shade.  Back at the storage building we followed the trail that led back into the forest:

Almost immediately we came to an intersection where Turtle Rock Trail continues to another trailhead to the south while Bedrock Ridge Trail leads back to the original trailhead:

We followed Bedrock Ridge Trail to make this a loop hike:

The Bedrock Ridge Trail immediately ascended up the hillside:

My kids and I took a short break at a rock outcropping that had a view of Mt. Spokane in the distance:

Here is a zoomed in look at Mt. Spokane where some snow could still be seen on its summit:

As we continued up the trail we were surrounded by these beautiful white wildflowers:

At the crest of the trail we reached another prominent rock outcropping:

The trail mostly leveled out after the rock outcropping and we soon passed the junction with the Cross Draw Trail that leads back towards Turtle Rock:

The next junction we came to was the Vision Quest Trail that is a 1.5 mile loop hike up a nearby hillside. We may come back some day to do this hike:

Shortly after the Vision Quest Trail junction and nearly three miles of hiking, we found ourselves back at the trailhead:

Conclusion

We found the Turtle Rock Trail to be a nice, nearly three mile, family friendly hike.  However, the start of the hike was thick mosquitos and since the trail is popular with equestrian users, we had to constantly dodge poop on the trail.  The best part of the hike though is checking out Turtle Rock and taking in the views of Newman Lake.  If you are looking for some place off the beaten path to take the family hiking, the Turtle Rock Trail is worth checking out.