Fir Trail - Hoyt Arboretum

A mostly wooded, lollipop-shaped trail with natural terrain featuring mostly Fir and Pine Collections with notable native species including large Oregon white oaks. The loop portion of the trail connects several Hoyt Arboretum landmarks, including Stevens Pavilion, the Fairy Forest, and the Wedding Meadow. The stem portion passes through an open field south of the Bamboo Forest, before reentering the woods and terminating at SW Fischer Ln.

Quick Facts

Image of a wayfinding sign pointing to Fir Trail at the beginning of the Fir Trail loop. — Fir Trail wayfinding post.

Surface: Natural surface, packed dirt and gravel

Grade: Generally moderate, but momentarily 21% about 0.09 miles north of Stevens Pavilion

Elevation Gain/Loss: 83 feet of elevation gain, 138 feet of elevation loss

Length: 0.6 miles

Number of Benches: 3 trailside (one is a carved log) and 1 picnic table

Minimum Trail Width: 36 inches 0.33 miles north of Stevens Pavilion

Other Things to Note: There is a drop-off of varying steepness along the trailside, and 11 steep stairs connecting Fir Trail and Spruce Trail near the Wedding Meadow

Fir Trail Preview

Access the Fir Trail

There are two main access points to Fir Trail: one from Fairview Blvd and the Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center and one from the Bristlecone Trail parking lot on Fischer Ln.

A portion of the Hoyt Arboretum trail map that shows Fir Trail marked with red dashed line. — Hoyt Arboretum trail map. Fir Trail marked in a red dashed line.

From Fairview Blvd parking areas and the Visitor Center, you can reach Fir Trail by heading west down the paved path leading to Stevens Pavilion. You’ll intersect the trail just before you reach Stevens Pavilion. Starting from the Visitor Center provides access to bathrooms and water fountains, and is a great place to grab a map and get some trail advice. Learn more about Visitor Center amenities on our Plan Your Visit Page.

Trail wayfinding sign at an intersection west of the Visitor Center and east of Stevens Pavilion. Signs point east to the Visitor Center, west to Stevens Pavilion, north to the Fir Trail loop, and south along the Fir Trail. — This Fir Trail wayfinding sign is located directly to the southwest of Stevens Pavilion, just across the street from the Visitor Center. This is the view facing north.

To begin the trail from the Bristlecone Trail parking lot, exit the parking lot and turn right (south) onto Fischer Lane. Walk on the paved street ~0.1 miles until you encounter the trail on your right (southwest).

2 side-by0side image- the one on the left shows a small parking lot on a small park road and the image on the right shows a small park road with a Redwood Trail marker sign on the left and a small trail on the right of the road. — The Bristlecone Pine Trail parking lot on Fischer Ln, and Redwood Trail intersecting Fischer Ln.

A small park road with bamboo in the background and a small trail starting on the right side, — Fischer Ln leading to the endpoint of Fir Trail, marked by a bollard post.

Known Obstacles and Usability

Fir Trail contains frequent, significant root intrusion throughout. The trail briefly passes through a gravel parking lot on Fairview Blvd, and there may be multiple vehicles to navigate around.

root intrusion on Fir Trail about 3 inches prtruding from natural surface in vertical orientation with the trail. — located just to the north of Stevens Pavilion, this is a typical example of root intrusion encountered throughout Fir Trail.

A picture of tall root intrusion on Fir Trail that measures about 5 inches and is horizontally oriented with the trail. — Located on the loop/north portion of Fir Trail, this is the most extreme example of the root intrusion encountered on the trail with bumps measuring 5 inches tall, horizontally oriented with the trail, and about 20 inches wide in the center of the trail.

There are 11 steep stairs immediately to the west of the Wedding Meadow, at the northernmost point of the Fir Trail where it intersects with Wildwood Trail.

Trail wayfinding sign at the intersection of Fir Trail and Wildwood Trail. Sign points north towards the Redwood Deck, west towards the Wedding Meadow, south towards Bray Blvd. — This wayfinding sign is located at the top of the stairs, just west of the Wedding Meadow.

An image of steep, uneven steps on the Fir Trail. — Located in the northernmost portion of the Fir Trail, this is a view of the stairs, descending towards the Wedding Meadow.

An image of the ascending view of the steep, uneven steps on the Fir Trail. — An ascending view of the stairs, leading away from the Wedding Meadow.

Portions of the trail to the southwest of the Wedding Meadow have crumbling edges, which may present a slipping hazard.

the crumbling edge of the trail. — The edge of the trail can crumble, creating a slip hazard.

Resting Spots

Stevens Pavilion and the surrounding area contains several picnic tables.

wooden picnic table on a circular concrete foundation. — This picnic table is located on the east side of Fir Trail, just to the southeast of Stevens Pavilion.

There is one bench on the loop (north) portion of the trail, and two benches on the stem (south) portion of the trail.

A wooden bench surrounded by vegetation on the edges directly off the natural dirt trail surface. — The bench is located on the north end of the Fir Trail Loop, nestled in the Pine Collection.

The south portion of the trail has two benches. The bench to the south of the Bamboo Forest has full sun exposure. The second bench, near the White Pine trailhead, is carved from a log.

Wooden bench on the south side of Fir Trail. — This sun-exposed bench is located to the south of the Bamboo Forest.

trail wayfinding sign at the intersection of Fir Trail and White Pine Trail. Behind the sign is a log bench. — A bench carved from a tree trunk, and a wayfinding sign at the White Pine Trail intersection.

The Wedding Meadow, located on the northern loop of the trail, contains benches and picnic tables that are accessible from the trail.

Questions?

Please reach out to Hoyt Arboretum Friends for more information about trails including accessibility concerns.

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503.865.8733