Whether your eye naturally seeks out the deep green of a conifer or the fresh brightness of new growth or something in between, Greenpicker Trail has the green for you. Thanks to abundant fog envel…
Whether your eye naturally seeks out the deep green of a conifer or the fresh brightness of new growth or something in between, Greenpicker Trail has the green for you. Thanks to abundant fog enveloping Inverness Ridge, which Greenpicker traverses, the trail also takes users through a fantastical world of forest and fern that lifts the spirits as the path climbs upward to the aptly named Firtop.
To enjoy the seven-mile Greenpicker/Stewart Loop, start at the Five Brooks Trailhead just off Highway 1. Take the wide and generously proportioned Stewart Trail upward about 1.2 miles. Along the way, watch for wildlife, including what seemed to be an entire village of chipmunks searching for snacks in the trailside grasses. When you reach the fork offering a choice between Stewart and Greenpicker, take Greenpicker to the right, a single track clearly marking a road less traveled.
At about the 3.2-mile mark and the hike’s peak elevation near Firtop of about 1,300 feet, the path reconnects with the Stewart Trail. The rest of the loop is an easy downhill trek back to the trailhead. Just past the start of this balloon-loop hike, you’ll see a pond. It’s a former mill pond associated with local logging operations, but it’s now a great site for birding and spotting other animals. Those logging operations were part of the Sweet Lumber Co., which took trees in the area during the 1950s and ’60s. Greenpicker itself was once an old logging road that ran steeply and somewhat treacherously down Inverness Ridge.
On foot, it might not seem that gentle at some points. The elevation gain on this hike is about 1,100 feet, and although low-key switchbacks ease the journey, glutes and quads will report for duty on a couple of stretches.
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