the Huffmaster Hopper is a race put on by Grasshopper Adventures. Of course the route can be ridden by anyone - it is all on public roads. It is half paved, half gravel. Most of the gravel is hard packed and pretty fast. The Huffmaster Road section is soft dirt and will be very muddy if there has been a recent rain (within a day or so) or it is actually raining. In that case use Leesville road to bypass Huffmaster road (it adds about 5 miles to this route). The ride starts in Maxwell, CA, right off I-5 north of Sacramento. It goes through totally flat farmland for the first 25 miles and then into the hills. The hills are a series of N-S ridges and valleys formed by uplift of marine sediments scraped off the subducting plate off the coast. The climbs are short (2-3 miles) and not too steep. Inbetween the climbs are long gentle rolling gravel roads with spectacular views of the coast range (peaks up to 7,000 ft). There will be snow on the hills in winter and early spring. The best time of year to ride this route is late fall to late spring, The rains come in late fall and the hills become green by December and lasts through May. After that it is dry and brown and will be extremely hot in the summer months. The scenery is spectacular as you ride over ridges and through the long valleys and along Stoney Creek. And on a clear day you can see Mt Lassen, 60 miles away, from the top of the ridge. There is no water or food on the route so bring at least two bottles, even in winter, and a hydration pack if necessary. This is a remote area without cell phone coverage, so if desired take a satellite communicator like Garmin Inreach, Garmin Messenger or Spot.