Hiking the Bench Trail
On a mid-October day we drove up the Greenstone Mountain Road to hike the Greenstone Bench Trail. The trailhead (N50 37.289 W120 33.967) is an old road, bearing west across the hills about halfway up the mountain.
The double track is in good shape providing a good route through mixed forests, plantations, and across ridges. The combination of sunny weather, fine views, and fall colours is what brought us up the mountain.
There are several stands of larches on the hillside, golden now before they shed their needles in winter.
We hiked through some aspen stands on the way. Most had already shed their leaves for another year.
There are numerous viewpoints along the way, this one looking northwest to Kamloops Lake and Red Plateau.
The route is out-and-back. We turned around at the junction with the Tower Trail for an 11 km route. A few images from the hike are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
This is a favorite hike. We will be back next fall to hike it again.
There are several articles on hiking routes on Greenstone Mountain. Use the Search Bar for more information.
I’m curious if you could provide more details on the part of the trail that follows along the creek? Is that section prone to flooding or becoming overgrown depending on the seasonal changes? Does that add a degree of difficulty for hikers unfamiliar with the area? Just wondering what challenges may exist along that creekside part of the route.