Humbug Mountain Trail

The Humbug Mountain Trail, though not the most scenic trail inside the park, offers the most epic hiking route with Humbug Mountain State Park. At around 5.6 miles roundtrip, the trail climbs over 1,700 feet from the trailhead to the hike summit. Along the way, the trail heads through a forest of old-growth Douglas fir, spruce and grand fir. A couple of small creeks cross the route, and views through the dense forest are isolated to occasional views of neighboring mountains or the vast Pacific Ocean. About a mile in, the trail offers two forks;the western trail reaches the top in about 1.6 miles, and the eastern trail has a slightly more gradual grade and hits the top in about 2 miles. The eastern trail has quite a few more downed trees from past storms lying across the trail and posing obstacles. The western trail also faces the ocean and has a dense feel due to the higher amounts of fog and moisture sweeping in from that side. The peak of the trail is a bit anticlimactic, as it is not the actual mountain summit but just a small clearing with surrounding trees not allowing for a wide vista. However, there is a bench at the top, and the sun may be a welcomed change after the cool shady hike up. Parking is at a wide gravel turnout opposite the Humbug Mountain State Park Campground, though campers can access the hike by crossing through a tunnel beneath the highway at the far western edge of the campground. There are no amenities in the parking area or anywhere along the hike.