Turtle Mountain isn’t technically a mountain, it’s more of a hill, similar to Middleton Mountain in Coldstream.  From the top of 39th Avenue in Vernon are Turtle Mountain's basalt cliffs that were formed during this area's great volcanic era sometime around 40-60 million years ago.  

In the spring of 2005, Wesbild purchased 112 acres on Turtle Mountain and In the fall of 2006, they started site prep and lot sales.  The neighborhood was planned with “theatre style” home sites so each home site has spectacular views of Okanagan Lake, Swan Lake, and/or downtown Vernon. The community consists of single-family homes, some two-stories which are ideal for family living, and some are ranchers or walkout bungalows.  As far as design goes, when you visit Turtle Mountain, the whole neighbourhood has a distinctive look and feel and this is due to due to 

Wesbild’s development guidelines focus primarily on the Craftsman-style architecture and the Prairie style – which is most commonly associated with the works of the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  

#1 Reason to Live at Turtle Mountain is its proximity right in the middle of everything, yet away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  You’re just minutes from downtown Vernon and at the same time steps from great hiking and walking trails, it’s that kind of thing where you can enjoy the serenity of nature around your houses and then walk downtown 5 minutes later and get groceries. 

#2 Reason to Live at Turtle Mountain is the spectacular views over the Okanagan Valley. I think every lot has some kind of a view whether it’s a lake view or a city and valley view. As I said earlier, it’s almost like a theatre, with sloped lots giving each home views over the other homes in front.  

#3 Reason to Live at Turtle Mountain is the trail system.  There is a section of the historic Grey Canal trail with three trails that run on either side of Turtle Mountain Boulevard ranging from easy to moderate in difficulty.  These trails have fabulous views of Swan Lake, Okanagan Lake, Terrace Mountain in the background, Silver Star Mountain, Middleton Mountain, and the city. There is also one park, located off the Rocky Ridge Park Trail to – you guessed it – Rocky Ridge Park which is an outstanding viewpoint with a 360-degree view of Greater Vernon. and is the perfect example of the Okanagan Valley’s desert-like environment because there are prickly pear cacti everywhere so watch out.  

#4 Reason to Live at Turtle Mountain is that everything that Wesbild has built up at Turtle has done its best to create a low impact development by integrating wildlife corridors with nature, they have put in progressive stormwater strategies and landscaping with natural plant species.   

On top of the immediate access to the necessities, the kids are also close to Alexis Park School, and a short walk away from Alexis Park, and when I say that I mean the actual Park called Alexis Park which has Basketball, Horseshoe Pitches, and is the home of the Vernon Horseshoe Club, Playground and Softball.   

As of January of 2021, the City of Vernon was considering amending the official community plan to allow for future development that could see nearly 200 homes added to Turtle Mountain so this is where you may want to look if you are considering the purchase of a brand new home close to Vernon.     

For more info on Turtle Mountain, or a complimentary list of all the homes in the Turtle Mountain sub-area of Vernon, BC, be sure to call 250-549-SALT (7258) and "Just Add Salt!"