I hiked Grasshopper Peak (3170 feet) during mid October. I started the hike at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park visitor center trailhead under a deck of stratus and fog. The first section of the hike meandered through redwoods, then transitioned to a river crossing (which can only be done during the driest months of the year), followed by an ascent up a river bluff. After a few miles the trail began to ascend a ridge through dense forest. The trail was fairly clean, well maintained, and easy to follow throughout the forested sections. Fog and stratus generally burned away during the second half of the hike, and I caught glimpses of Grasshopper Peak through breaks in the trees. During the last quarter mile of the hike, the trail connected with a gravel road that provided a steep path to the summit and a fire lookout tower. The wind was howling at the top, but luckily the tower provided a break from the wind which allowed me to warm up in wind-free sunshine (a snake along the trail had similar ideas). After a quick rest I ran back down the mountain and made it back to my truck in 5 hours of total elapsed hiking time. Round trip was around 15.5 miles.
Google map location is here.
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