Turtle Rock–Wallace Stegner Bench, 4 summits is a 14.5-mile out-and-back in Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (closed area) near Vista Verde, CA. The route passes Wallace Stegner Bench and Two Moon Lake before reaching Turtle Rock at the turnaround, 7.2 miles in. It climbs 3,586 ft, with sections as steep as 21% grade. It scores 61/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi784 – 2,638 ft · steepest grade: 21%14.8 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Unnamed 37.30312, -122.19778
Nearest town Vista Verde, CA
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Turtle Rock–Wallace Stegner Bench, 4 summits
14.5 mi · ▲ 3,586 ft · 6 hr 38 min
Elevation 785–2,637 ft
Out & Back · Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (closed area)
Trailhead: 37.30312, -122.19778
Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:56 AM · sunset 7:10 PM
No dogs on part of this route
- Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
- 1 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.3 miSharp left onto Old Page Mill Trail, heading N.
- 0.9 miBear left onto Long Ridge Road, heading E.
- 3.7 miPass Wallace Stegner Bench.
- 0.5 miPass Two Moon Lake.
- 50 ftBear right onto Ward Road, heading S.
- 200 ftBear right, heading S.
- 0.2 miBear right onto Hickory Oaks Trail, heading SE.
- 0.6 miReach Turtle Rock, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.6 miBear left, heading NW.
- 0.2 miBear left onto Ward Road, heading SW.
- 200 ftBear left onto Long Ridge Road, heading N.
- 4.2 miBear right onto Old Page Mill Trail, heading N.
- 0.9 miSharp right, heading SE.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.9 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
9% dirt91% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:56 AMSunset 7:10 PM
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.6 mi in (~115 min). Leave by 4:55 PM for the 7:10 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:31 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- No dogs on part of this route
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Bear Creek Trail & Old Page Mill Trail 10.8 mi · ▲ 2,619 ft
- Long Ridge Road 11.3 mi · ▲ 2,921 ft
- Grizzly Flat Trail North–Grizzly Flat Trail South, 5 sights 14.1 mi · ▲ 3,882 ft
- Old Page Mill Trail 8.5 mi · ▲ 2,503 ft
- Bodhidharma Cave & Sorich Road via Old Page Mill Trail 12.2 mi · ▲ 3,442 ft
- Diablo Way via Old Page Mill Trail 10.8 mi · ▲ 3,278 ft
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