At the end of May I went up the Greenstone Mountain Road to hike a series of single-track trails. I parked at the 5 km mark on the Forest Service Road then followed trails to the west, then up through the rocky hills in a counter-clockwise loop. Although there are some old double tracks in the area, most of the single tracks were built by the mountain biking community. There are some hand-made signs here and there, but for the most part, hikers need to navigate on their own, making choices at each junction. I have hiked the trails a number of times and I use a mapping/GPS app (Maps.me) if I come to an unknown junction. But, I also vary the route each time. On this hiking day, there was no one on the trails (other than a hare and some birds), but there were lots of scats to remind me that it is also a backcountry wildlife area.
The trails are rugged, but they are also rewarding. Some sections go through the old burn from the Greenstone Mountain Fire. Some of the trails go through plantations. There are a number of steep rock hills, separated with small dells. Some of the trails go through north-slope Douglas fir forests. A few small seasonal creeks run down the gullies. There are trails higher up the mountain too, but I have found it easier to start higher up the Green Mountain FSR to hike those ones. I usually return in the summer to hike another route on Greenstone Mountain.
Many hikers will be challenged with navigating these trails, but a mapping app would be useful (Trailforks or Maps.me, in particular). A map of the trails is also included in the slideshow, embedded below.
More Information:
- Google Albums with captions – Greenstone Trails
- YouTube – Hiking the Greenstone Trails
- Kamloops Trails – Greenstone Mountain Trails