Humbug Mountain is one of the highest mountains in the U.S. state of Oregon to rise directly from the Pacific Ocean. It lies on the state's southern coast, about south of Port Orford and north of Gold Beach. The mountain is completely within Humbug Mountain State Park, and U.S. Route 101 passes by its northern base.
Its slopes feature an old-growth temperate rainforest.
Two trails run from the state park campground to the mountain's summit, one long, the other long. Both are part of the much longer Oregon Coast Trail.
Geology
Humbug Mountain was created about 130 million years ago, in the early Cretaceous period.
It was formed when islands in the Klamath microcontinent collided, uplifting primordial mountains composed of mostly sandstone. Ancient rivers eroded these mountains, and the sediment and sandstone was deposited on the seashore. Then, the microcontinent collided with the North American continent, uplifting Humbug Mountain in the process. Near the summit, rock outcrops of granite and sandstone can still be found. When American settlers located the mountain, they initially named it Sugarloaf Mountain. In 1851 it began to be called Tichenor's Humbug when an exploring party sent by Captain William V. Tichenor, founder of Port Orford, got lost and headed north of the port instead of south.
Since that time, Tichenor's Humbug came to be known as Humbug Mountain.
In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps built the first trail to the summit, however, it was destroyed in the 1962 Columbus Day Storm. An alternate trail was used until the original was reopened in 1993.
Flora and fauna
thumb|left|[[Douglas squirrels can be found on the mountain.]]
thumb|Forest on the west side of the mountain
Many types of plants inhabit Humbug Mountain. The most common types of trees include tanoak, Douglas fir, big-leaf maple, Port Orford cedar, and Oregon myrtle.
Smaller plants such as maidenhair ferns, wild rhododendrons, and vanilla leaf are abundant in the area.
Gray whales can sometimes be seen migrating along the coast,
It has several switchbacks.
A fourth trail, named Recreation Trail, follows the path of the Old Coast Highway. It is approximately long, and crosses nearby Brush Creek seventeen times. The trail has many views of the Pacific Ocean. It eventually merges with U.S. Route 101.
Recreation
Nature study, wildlife viewing, camping, and whale watching are popular activities around the mountain.