If you’ve heard of Moran State Park, you’ve probably heard of Mt. Constitution – the highest spot in all of the San Juan Islands topping out at a formidable 2,409 feet above sea level. If you’ve heard of Orcas Island, you’ve probably heard of the Turtleback Mountain Preserve at about 1,519’ above sea level. Chances are, however, that even if you’re familiar with all of the above, you’re not familiar with Mt. Pickett though climbing to the top will get you 1,750’ above sea level along a nice, wide, forest road trail.
Mt. Pickett is a nice spot to include in your Orcas Island or Moran State Park hike as you can loop it a variety of ways to incorporate other popular spots like Mountain Lake, Twin Lakes, Cascade Falls and Mount Constitution. Plus, the Mt. Pickett Natural Preserve is the “largest contiguous tract of naturally propagated, unlogged old-growth forest remaining at the lower elevations of the Puget Sound Trough.”
Admittedly, we weren’t as familiar with the ‘Puget Sound Trough’ as we should be so we did a bit of research to see just what we’re talking about. Turns out that the Puget Trough Ecoregion runs the entire North/South length of Washington State and is where over 75% of Washington State residents hang their hat. Not too shabby.
Don’t forget, our Washington State glamping sites in the San Juan Islands are really popular so go ahead and book yours today!
Happy hiking!
