Grasshopper Loop Trail now open in La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve

The new 1.3-mile Grasshopper Loop Trail in La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve is now open.

This easy-access loop trail is open to hiking year-round and welcomes on-leash dogs seasonally, and can be accessed from the preserve’s Sears Ranch Road parking area near the town of La Honda.

“The trail crew came up with the name to honor two grassland-dependent species found here: the grasshopper and the grasshopper sparrow,” Midpen Open Space Technician Kandahar Husin said. “The name also refers to the experience trail users will have of hopping between this preserve’s different ecosystems over a short distance, with some incredible views along the way.”

The Grasshopper Loop Trail’s minimal elevation gain, generous width and relatively short distance make it accessible to visitors of diverse ages and abilities.

Along just over a mile, visitors to the trail traverse working ranchlands with grazing cattle, coastal grasslands, oak woodlands and redwood forests with expansive viewpoints along the way.

La Honda Creek, along with the Mindego Hill area of Russian Ridge, are the only two Midpen preserves where public trails pass through areas that are actively grazed by cattle as part of Midpen’s Conservation Grazing Program. Grazing is used to help manage and enhance coastal grasslands and the native plants and wildlife they support.

Dogs will not be allowed on the Grasshopper Loop Trail from August 1 through December 15, to protect the health and safety of visitors and support Midpen’s conservation grazing program during calving season.

Photos by Linda Hubbard (c) 2022