Sea Turtle
Difficulty: 
Hard
Distance: 1.26 miles
Restrooms: No
Dog Friendly: No
Stroller Friendly: No
Playground: No
Location: Richard M. Nixon County Park
Anchor Clues:
- Start at the bulletin board in front of the nature center and turn right on the sidewalk. At the parking area, turn right and locate the yellow fire hydrant ahead.
- Carefully cross the parking area and locate the start of the Quiet Walk Trail (before the fire hydrant). Turn left and go up the steps as the Quiet Walk Trail enters the woods.
- At the Y intersection, make a sharp right turn to stay on the Quiet Walk Trail.
- Follow the trail for a while, passing post marker 2, until you reach four steps. Go up the steps and make a sharp turn to the left to stay on the Quiet Walk Trail.
- Eventually you will go by a flat area in the woods that has five wooden benches (on the left).
- At the Y intersection, turn right. You are now on the Hardwood Trail.
- Look for a “Welcome Nixon Park” sign (on the left). The post can be found here.
- To return to the parking area, go straight to the trail and turn left at the Y intersection onto trail 4/green triangles.
- At the next Y intersection, turn left to continue on the Hardwood Trail with the blue rectangles and go past the brown park sign (on the left).
- The Hardwood Trail will bend to the left at the next wooden trail marker.
- You will come to a large rock formation that begins going downhill. Walk on the right side of the trail and go down the first wooden step. Take a slight left and go down two more wooden steps.
- At the wooden trail marker, turn left (to the 10 o’clock position) and walk over to the tree that has two trunks. Do not go down the trail with the wooden steps – follow the Geology Trail.
- With this tree on your right, walk down over the rocks and locate the trail below. You are now on the Geology Trail. Pass marker 35.
- Follow the Geology Trail down the hill and down the steps, passing markers 36, 37, and 38. At the very bottom of the hill, turn left toward the Nature Center. Follow the Connector Trail to the Nature Center and the parking area.
Recommended Books:
- The Lighthouse Family: The Turtle by Cynthia Rylant
- Sea Turtles by Mara Grunbaum
- Sea Turtles by Melissa Gish
- Always Remember by Cece Meng
Pearls of Wisdom:
- Sea turtles have existed for about 110 million years and can hold their breath for five hours underwater.
- The leatherback is the largest sea turtle and can weigh between 550 and 2,000 pounds and measure up to 6 feet.
- There are seven species of marine turtles — Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, Green, Flatback and Kemp's Ridley. Six of these are threatened with extinction.
This is what your rubbing artwork should look like:
