On a hot and smoky day we hiked on the Greenstone Trails.    the trailhead is on the northeast corner of the mountain on the Greenstone Mountain Road.    There is a network of trails there, a combination of old double tracks and single tracks used by mountain bikers.    On a weekday morning, we were the only ones on the trails, hiking a 12.3 km loop route.  

The route started at the grasslands – open forest end of the area, climbed into the burn area (1998 forest fire), then wound through douglas fir forests back to the start.    We hiked along Cherry Creek as it tumbled down the canyon.  

Most of the forested area is open forest and the trails which go east-west are moderate.    The ones that go north-south are steeper. 

A number of wildflowers were on display along the route.    Photos by the author.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption/ID. 

arnica

shrubby penstemon

pearly everlasting

showy jacob's ladder

blue clematis

silverweed

milkvetch

Some of the moments are captured in this video, now available on YouTube:

More information/links on the Greenstone Trails:

• On the Greenstone Trails
• Greenstone Bench Trail
• Hiking the Greenstone NE Trails
• Greenstone to Spade Lakes
• Greenstone Mountain Routes