Across Greenstone Mountain

We hiked across the north side of Greenstone Mountain on old roads and trails, for a loop route of about 8.5 km. Our plan was to drive up the Greenstone Mountain Road for 5.5 km to start on an old road, probably cut to log the hillside, then used to clear the burned trees after the forest fire. The area had been replanted, but it is still fairly open. It had been called the Bench Road and it was used by some ATVs and motorcycles, and probably by hunters. We have been hiking the track in October to enjoy the views and the fall colors. We usually hiked out-and-back on the old track for a 6-10 km return route.

Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road

We were surprised to find the road deactivated. When most roads are deactivated, the first section is dug up, culverts are removed, and trenches or waterbars are left behind. We assumed we could hike past the churned up track. We were wrong. As far as we could see, the track was dug up and left impassable for vehicles for the whole length of the former Bench Road, and it was too rough to hike. We persisted for 3 km, and it did not get any better. The yellow leaves of deciduous trees, the golden needles of larches, and the red shrubs provided some color, but the route was not good for hiking.

We did go out to several spots to enjoy the wide views.

Welcome to G7

Using mobile apps to show where we were and the trails nearby, we found a connector trail which wound down to another lower track which went across the mountain. The G7 Trail runs east-west with a gentle, wide downhill slope east going back toward the Greenstone Mountain Road. This was a great hiking route, and it will be our choice next time.

The G7 Trail wound through some colorful gullies.

We would have ended up much lower on the road, so we turned uphill and followed a number of bike trails back to the start (Zigzags and Shorty). The single track trails wound through some aspen groves, with a steady climb back to the start.

We were pleased to hike the G7 Trail and we plan to return next fall for an out-and-back route. A few images from the hike are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.