Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge - Moose in Spokane!
- Kati Cooke
- Oct 14
- 8 min read
I may hold the world record of the most solo drives to Bozeman, Montana from Portland, Oregon. I've lost count of how many times I've driven this exact route, but over the years I have developed a list of my favorite stops along the way. However, the elusive moose (yes - moose is the plural of moose - I googled it) have evaded me every time... until now!!
40 minutes south of Spokane, Washington is a smaller town called Cheney. It's known for Eastern Washington University, but the best reason to stop is for the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. After seeing so many "moose crossing" signs in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, I was getting frustrated that after 5 years of making this drive, I've yet to see one. In early of October this year, I was headed back to Portland after attending a wedding in Montana and I took the small detour south of Spokane to the Turnbull Refuge with one goal - to find a moose. And I ended up finding five!
Fast Facts
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is located in Cheney, WA, 40 minutes south of Spokane.
Entrance is FREE!
Hours: 6 am - 6 pm November - April; 6 am - 9 pm May - October
Dogs are allowed but must be leashed (trust me - moose are more likely to charge dogs - this is for their, and your, safety)
5.5-mile auto tour loop
10-miles of hiking trails
3 accessible trails
Common wildlife sightings include moose, many types of birds (I even saw a great horned owl!), coyotes, and deer
Helpful Links
US Fish and Wildlife Service Page - https://www.fws.gov/refuge/turnbull
Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge - https://www.fotnwr.org/
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge is managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and entrance is FREE! It is open from 6 am to 6 pm in November - April, and until 9 pm in May - October. The Friends of Turnbull organization operates a nature store, and there are several restrooms, parking lots, and interpretive kiosks.
The park contains over 10 miles of hiking trails, and a 5.5 mile driving loop. There are many short (1/4 to 1/2 of a mile long) trails leading to views of lakes and wetlands.
The unique biome of the Refuge is called a "scabland" - a type of rugged terrain caused by Ice Age floods. You'll find ponderosa pine and aspen trees, wetlands, meadows, basalt cliffs, over 200 types of birds, moose, elk, deer, coyote, and more! While the Refuge is federally protected because of the migratory birds, it is most famous for its population of over 20 Shiras moose.
My Trip to Turnbull
I visited Turnbull in early October, around 6 pm (right before sunset). My first moose was spotted on the way into the park. Several cars had pulled off the road, so I knew something was up. I pulled over first, then saw a cow moose munching on some leaves. She was almost totally hidden, so I didn't get a picture, but it was a fun sighting nonetheless.
I drove the auto loop and did not see another moose until I was almost at Kepple Lake. She was quite far in the distance walking through some ponderosa pines. I snapped a few pictures, then walked the 1/4 mile trail to Kepple Lake, and saw a great horned owl on a tree branch! Unfortunately it flew off before I got a picture. Kepple Lake was gorgeous and I wished I had more time to hike around the refuge. Everything is golden at this time of year, and there is a constant birdsong and sound of rustling leaves in the wind.
I had my favorite moose encounter just a few minutes past Kepple Lake. A mom and her calf crossed the road right in front of my car! I parked and quietly watched them for several minutes as they headed towards the lake, then disappeared into the brush.
Just a minute or so later, I turned a corner and saw a bull moose hanging out by a field of tall reeds. He must have been a juvenile, as his antlers were small. He walked around grazing for a while, then vanished into the reeds - kind of terrifying to watch him disappear so completely. If I had been hiking, I would never have known a 6-foot-tall creature was hiding nearby.
By this time, it was getting dark so I only did one loop. The auto loop took me about one hour to drive, but I was also going extremely slow and frequently stopping. I wish I had even more time to take some trails!
How to See a Moose
To maximize your chances of seeing a moose, I would recommend driving the 5.5-mile auto loop, like I did. This way, you'll cover the most ground in the least amount of time, and you can take the loop more than once. I was surprised at how quickly the moose move around, so if you don't see any the first time around, you very well might see one on a second loop!
Moose love to eat deciduous trees and shrubs. Almost every moose I saw during my trip was feasting on the leaves or grasses. This can make them difficult to see (despite their massive size). I found that searching for motion in the leaves is the best way to quickly spot them - just look for trees or shrubs that are moving in ways inconsistent with the wind, there's a good chance it's due to a moose chomping away.
Time of day, and even time of year are also important factors. Moose are more active at dawn and dusk. I visited the Refuge shortly before sunset, which was absolutely perfect. Fall is also a great time to see them, as they are more active due to the rutting season.
All About Moose
We've all seen moose in popular culture (Bullwinkle...), but how many of us have actually seen one in the wild? I went about 23 years before I first saw a moose in Anchorage, Alaska. A few years later, I saw a couple in the Grand Tetons, Wyoming. Several years after that, I saw my next moose at 1 am in a tiny Idaho panhandle town (by far the scariest sighting).
Despite being featured on many souvenir tee shirts, moose aren't even common in the PNW. The first moose seen in Washington was in 1929. In 2015, the moose population in Washington grew to around 5,000, and only 50 in Oregon (compare to 59,000 Roosevelt Elk residing in Oregon, and 9,000 in Washington).
Washington's resident moose is called the Shiras moose - the smallest of the four North American subspecies. It is native to the Rocky Mountains and first appeared at Turnbull in the 1990s. The Shiras moose is migratory and adaptable. The first few at Turnbull decided that it is an ideal place to be a moose, so they stayed and reproduced. The Washington DFW has even started moving moose from urban areas to the refuge for their own safety and quality of life!
Shiras moose can stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder - not including the head and neck! An adult male can weigh 1,200 pounds, and their antlers can be over 4 feet wide. This means they are fairly easy to spot if you know what to look for (but can hide remarkably well for such a huge creature).
Here is video from my trip of the closest moose encounter I had - a mother and her calf walked across the road just in front of my car:
Moose Safety
Moose may look like large, clumsy, awkward horses, but they are truly one of the scariest animals to encounter. I would much rather startle a black bear while hiking than a moose. The auto loop at Turnbull is perfect for viewing moose safely from your car, but if you do see one on a hike, be very careful.
Calving season is May-June, and rut season is September-November. Moose can be extra unpredictable at these times. If you are hiking in moose country, keep dogs leashed, as moose are more likely to charge dogs. Stay at least 25 yards away and avoid startling them.
Signs of aggression include huffing and laying the ears back. Hide behind trees if you see one coming towards you. Do not be aggressive or try and scare it away. You can (and should) run from an agitated moose! It does not have the "chase" instinct that a predatory animal does. If it does chase, it will only be for a short distance. Hide behind any larger, solid object, curl into a ball to protect your head, and stay still. Do not fight back, and only move when the moose has left the area.
Of course, moose attacks are rare and I cannot find a single record of an unpleasant moose encounter at Turnbull - in fact, the only moose-related human deaths in Washington have been due to car accidents. However, I do think our society focuses so much on bear and cougar safety that it's worth including what to do if one runs into an aggressive moose - I didn't know what to do until I researched it for this article! Having the knowledge and confidence will help you enjoy your hike more and avoid any stressful situations.
Some Fun Reviews of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
To end the article, I wanted to share some of my favorite Google reviews of this magical place (inspired by a recent episode of my favorite podcast, National Park After Dark). Turnbull Refuge was one of the most peaceful, beautiful places I've ever been. I can't imagine rating it anything less than 5-stars, and I hope these people come back and change their mind (but it sounds like they're better suited for a Disney cruise vacation, or just staying home and watching a nature documentary instead).
Ram Dharmarajan says, "Worst place with zilch to see or do."
Barbara Newland says, "Very disappointed. No wildlife."
Kazi Manzoor says, "This place has lots and lots of bees."
Mark Jennifer Henning says (in August, I might add), "Quiet park neat drive but extremely dry. No water really in any of the ponds currently. Just reeds. With some rain it would be pretty."
Angie Gilmour says, "It was almost eerie how void of animals it was. We saw a couple birds in the water and that is all, not even a bug.. if it's a refuge, where's all the animals?"
Kenn Thompson says, "Cheap entertainment but didn't see any wildlife other than sparrows."
The DFW had some wonderful replies to their dissatisfied clientele, which I will sum up in one sentence - The Turnbull Wildlife Refuge is not a zoo, the moose are not tame, and the ponds are not professionally landscaped, but I personally found it more tranquil and rewarding than the most manicured garden.
Let me know if you stop by!
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