Updated 2/02/2023
What’s not to like about a mountain with a cute name like “Humbug”? The Humbug Mountain trail travels up this 1,765-foot mountain in southern Oregon, passing through an old-growth forest before opening onto panoramic views of the Oregon coast. Bryan and I made a key mistake with this one, though: We camped down the road at Humbug Mountain Campground the day before hiking the Humbug Mountain trail.
In today’s post, I’ll share the highlights of the Humbug Mountain trail and everything you need to know to do the hike yourself. I’ll also share our misadventures at Humbug Mountain Campground so you can get more sleep than we did before your hike….
To start with a virtual preview, check out our video of Humbug Mountain below.
Humbug Mountain Trail in a Nutshell
“What kind of tree is that?” I asked, as we started out on the Humbug Mountain trail. The trail wound upward through a forest of leafy trees. I saw familiar, mossy maples above an understory of sword ferns, but there was something different about this forest. It didn’t just look different. It smelled different, too.
A fragrant aroma permeated the forest, like the scent of fresh herbs being chopped on a cutting board. Bryan picked up a leaf from the trail and split it. The scent intensified.
It turns out Humbug Mountain is far enough south that it’s in a totally different ecosystem than the one we’re used to in northern Oregon. Those fragrant leaves are from the Oregon myrtle tree, which only grows in parts of southern Oregon and northern California. They have a similar scent to the bay leaves used in cooking, though Oregon myrtle leaves contain some harmful compounds, so I wouldn’t recommend cooking with them.
For more on the flora of this unique environment, check out our blog post on old-growth forest hikes in southern Oregon. The nearby Myrtle Tree Trail and Frances Shrader Old-Growth Trail, discussed in the post, offer more opportunities to explore the ecosystem of the southern Oregon coast. The trailheads for both hikes provide written field guides that explain more about the plants in this unique region.
While we’re discussing plants: Watch out for poison oak near the beginning of the Humbug Mountain trail! There’s an abundance of it near the trailhead.
As the Humbug Mountain trail climbs up the mountain, the forest changes. Huge old-growth Douglas fir trees join the mix. Toward the top, you’ll start to get occasional peeks of the ocean through the trees—good encouragement to continue the upward climb!
At the top of Humbug Mountain, the trail opens onto expansive coastal views. A viewpoint with benches looks out upon miles of coastline and out into the open ocean. Fishing vessels bob along near the horizon, and sea birds fly overhead. It feels strangely removed from the world below, yet a part of it all.
How Long is the Humbug Mountain Trail?
The Humbug Mountain trail is a 5 ½-mile lollipop loop. It travels a mile up the mountain before reaching the beginning of the loop. The loop is 3 ½-miles, and then there’s the one-mile hike back to the trailhead to round out the 5 ½ miles.
Should You Camp at Humbug Mountain Campground?
I mentioned we made a mistake on our Humbug Mountain adventure, and that was camping across the highway at Humbug Mountain Campground.
Though Humbug Mountain Campground is temptingly close to the trailhead, and it has nice new facilities, it is LOUD. Since it’s only a few hundred feet from the highway, you’ll hear every car and every semi truck with its Jake brakes chug-ug-ug-ugging throughout the entire night as you lie awake wishing you had booked a better campsite.
The road noise was so loud that at night, as I listened to the cacophony of sound, I thought there was a nearby airport with low-flying planes. Not so! Highway 101 travels along the base of Humbug Mountain, between the mountain and the campground. We think the mountain likely reflects the sound from the road back toward the campground, amplifying the noise to its extraordinary volume.
At first light, new noises reached our ears. A work crew was preparing to repave the road. Heavy equipment laboriously roared its way toward us, again amplified by the strange properties of Humbug Mountain. Luckily, we were awake by this time, but the construction noise just added to the existing din of cars and trucks. Definitely not the typical “away from it all” feel of camping. Do yourself a favor and camp somewhere else when you hike the Humbug Mountain trail!
Getting to Humbug Mountain
The Humbug Mountain trail is in the aptly named Humbug Mountain State Park in the town of Port Orford, Oregon. It’s about a 5-hour drive south of Portland.
Why is it Called Humbug Mountain?
Per the Oregon State Parks, the name goes back to 1851. Captain Tichenor, who founded the town of Port Orford, sent a team on an exploration mission in the area. The team got lost in the Humbug Mountain area. It came to be known as “Tichenor’s Humbug” as a result, transitioning to the simpler “Humbug Mountain” with time.
Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest
Thanks for joining us on the Humbug Mountain trail! For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.
Happy exploring!