Turtle Trot

Annual Fundraiser for The Crest

Turtle Trot 2025

6th Annual Event

Sunday, June 15, 2025, 9am-12pm

Thank you to all who participated in the 2024 event!

If you missed out on our fun annual trail race and family-friendly fun run this year, be sure to check back here next spring for details on next year’s 7th annual event, date to be announced. Follow us on Facebook and/or subscribe to receive The Crest email newsletters and announcements for all our future family-friendly events and activities.

Join us at Willow-Witt Ranch for The Crest’s 6th Annual Turtle Trot! The scenic 10k and 5k races feature technical trails around meadows and wetlands, through native conifer forests, and oak woodlands. The 5K and 10K courses start at 4500’ elevation and climb to almost 5000’ with views of Mount Shasta, Pilot Rock, Mt. Ashland, and beyond. The 10k will run the 5K course two-times, the second time in reverse. The nearly level 1-mile Fun Run will take you to the headwaters of Frog Creek and back.

Come run, walk or trot your way around the meadows of Willow-Witt Ranch, knowing your participation supports a great cause; all proceeds benefit The Crest’s programs and further our mission of cultivating connection between people and nature.

Please leave dogs at home. Willow-Witt Ranch is a working farm and uses Maremma livestock guardian dogs. No outside dogs or pets are permitted at this working ranch.

A young Western Pond Turtle at Willow-Witt Ranch

Turtle Trot 2021 5k trail race workers clearing the trail

Volunteers clear the 5k trail

Turtle Trot Runners

Crossing the Finish Line

Turtle Trot Start / Finish Table

Family at 2024 Turtle Trot

Generations of Runners 2024 Turtle Trot

Family Fun at 2024 Turtle Trot

Schedule

9:00 AM

10k Run Start
9:15 AM

5k Run Start
10:00 AM

1-mile Fun Run Start
10 AM – 12 PM

Breakfast available at the campground
10:45 AM

Prize Ceremony to follow at Breakfast, with Turtle Talk and a visit to the pond to study Western Pond Turtles (We supply binoculars !)

Pricing

$40:

10k Run (includes Race Shirt & Breakfast)
$35:

5k Run (includes Race Shirt & Breakfast)
$20:

1-mile Fun Run (includes Breakfast)
$10:

Additional Kid’s Breakfast Plate

Turtle Trot Trail

Turtle Trot 5k & 10k Trail Race Route Map

Turtle Trot 5k & 10k trail race route map

Turtle Trot 1 Mile Fun Run

Directions to Willow-Witt Ranch

Prize Categories

Fastest male 16-35
Fastest male 36-201
Fastest female 16-35
Fastest female 36- 201
Slowest male (It is the Turtle Trot after all!)
Slowest female (It is the Turtle Trot after all!)
Most Times Trotted (the Turtle Trot Award)

Prizes

Slowest Racers in each category: Naming rights for a numbered turtle in The Crest/SOU population study at Willow-Witt Ranch Turtle pond
Fastest Racers in each category: Free Entry for up-to-four to The Crest Fest on June 22nd, 2025
Most Times Trotted: 2-night stay in a 4-person Wall Tent at Willow-Witt Ranch Campground
Free entry in next year’s Turtle Trot

The Most Times Trotted Winner will also be awarded the honor of having their name added to the Turtle Trot Award that resides at the ranch and winner names will be added each year. Be the first! Run often!

Winners of each category to be announced at The Crest Fest on Sunday, June 22nd.

Our 2025 Sponsors

Willow-Witt Ranch

The 445-acre Willow-Witt Ranch, in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, is home to the highest elevation breeding population of Western Pond Turtles in southern Oregon, at 4850’ elevation. The ruggedly beautiful 5k and 10K course is run over a (and technical) trail designed for hikers and adventure runners in mind. It takes you through and around wetlands and meadows filled with wildflowers, through conifer and oak woodlands, and over a few seasonal creeks — all the obstacles a Western Pond Turtle must navigate living at this elevation. See the trail map below. This special population of turtles is the current focus of our curriculum, connecting the efforts of the turtles to survive with the climate change issues we also face — and the impacts on our own food and water — right in our own backyard.