Greenpicker to Alamea Trail Loop

Magical morning sunlight shining through the trees along Greenpicker Trail.

Climb up to Fir Top on quiet Greenpicker Trail, catch a glimpse of the ocean on your way to shaded Alamea Trail, and enjoy a gentle descent on Stewart Trail.

Location: Point Reyes National Seashore
Length: 6.9 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Shade: mostly shaded
Parking: dirt lot at Five Brooks Trailhead (free)
Public Transportation: none
WC: toilets at Five Brooks
Dogs: not allowed on trails

Link to park website

Hiked: May 2021

Patches of sunlight along shaded Alamea Trail.

Trail Route

This hike begins at Five Brooks Trailhead. There’s a short walk from the trailhead to the marker for Stewart Trail. Turn right onto Stewart and begin climbing up the ridge. Then at the next trail marker, take the narrow trail to the right–Greenpicker Trail–which is a much more interesting climb up the rest of the ridge compared to Stewart. There’s a spot where you can see a view of the hills. You’ll climb for 1.9 miles on Greenpicker before hitting the next trail marker. Go right again to continue on Greenpicker towards Glen Camp rather than towards Fir Top. After another 0.7 miles, you’ll see another marker, and a short unmarked trail going to the left. Take that unmarked trail–you’ll see a marker very shortly afterwards when you hit the wide trail, which is Stewart Trail.

Take Stewart Trail to the right. There’s a brief view of the ocean over the ridge. Then you’ll head downhill for a bit before you see the marker for Old Out Road to the left. Take that short trail to connect to Alamea Trail. At the marker, turn left onto Alamea to start looping back. Alamea is 1.5 miles of shaded trail with patches of sunlight.

At Ridge Trail, go right towards Lake Ranch, though you’ll only go that direction for 0.6 miles; it’s a shortcut to Ridge Trail without having to climb up to Fir Top again. When you reach the next marker, you’ll join the main Ridge Trail, which you’ll notice is wider than the shortcut. Turn left towards Stewart, then take Stewart Trail downhill to the right for about 3 miles to get back to the Five Brooks Trailhead.

It’s an easy downhill back to Five Brooks along Stewart Trail.

Notes

The weather was warm, despite the shade, so if you’re hiking around late spring/summer, bring lots of water and not too many layers. It’s interesting to hike up the ridge at Point Reyes this time of year because everywhere else in Marin is pretty dry, already feeling the summer heat, but the fog keeps Point Reyes green much longer.

This hike is a little odd because it’s a loop connected to a loop. But it combines some of my favorite trails in this part of Point Reyes: Greenpicker and Alamea. Even Stewart Trail is nice with its view of the ocean in one spot and a view of the hills in another; but it can be busy with bikers and horseback riders sometime. And because it’s the service road to Wildcat Camp and Glen Camp, it’s possible you’ll be passed by a service truck. I prefer the narrow hiking trails.