This was my first visit to Dog Mountain and it was an awesome hike.  I am from the Seattle area and some drive all that way to do this hike.  Its a long drive for just this one so make sure you do something else as well, we did Coyote Wall a few miles down the road and that didnt disappoint either.  Dog Mountain has a parking issue these days so they have a permit system on the weekends now.  We arrived around 8:20 on Monday and the lot was maybe 15-20 percent full.  This hike has two trailheads, Dog and Augspurger Mtn, which is how we came down.  We started up Dog Mountain with switchbacks into the trees.  Its a pretty steep start but then you come to a fork that offers a difficult and a more difficult option, one being 1.3 mile and he other being 1.7 miles.  They both rejoin the trail where you again start switchbacks and elevation gain.  The funny thing is we chose the most difficult yet that section was the easiest part of the hike, hmmm.  So shortly after the trails come together and a after a few switchbacks you pop out of the woods to a field of yellow and purple wildflowers.  There are others as well but those are dominant.  I know they have names but wildflowers works for me!  What an explosion of color!  They were everywhere! I cant imagine that there could be more so not sure if things are peaking now or what.  We made it to the top where some clouds were rolling through. 

As you are close to the summit there is a trail off to the left that traverses the hillside.  There is a sign that is hard to read that says "Augspurger"  We did travel to the summit and enjoyed the views of Mt Hood as well as many other peaks.  There are a few trails at the top that I think might loops around but the true summit is in the trees.

We were originally going to do Augspurger but after asking a few people and listening to a person the evening before we chose to head to Coyote Wall.  We did take that traverse trail which goes about 0.9 miles and you turn left and head back to the same trail head where we started.  I enjoyed this option as the grade was a little more gentle and the terrain and surroundings were different.  It basically added just under a mile.  The whole hike took only about 3 hours and 20 minutes.  This is why this hike is a LONG drive from Seattle and you need to do more then just this one.  When we arrived back down the parking lot was full, there were cars down the road and people were waiting for us to leave.  

I actually rarely take pictures but I think this one needs the visual.

We had beautiful weather and the balsam root flowers were blooming at the mid section. The upper section was just beginning to bloom. There were a few sightings of rattlesnakes. We ran into one rattling on the trail. 

Challenging hike if you're not somewhat experienced with hiking around the Northwest. The trail has some great diversity - it starts out with a pretty intense incline that could scare off some folks. It doesn't get much easier, so if you're nervous about the first <1 mile, it might be best to turn around and try again after you have some other trails under your boots. Trail is in great condition - virtually no mud and totally navigable but the inclines are steady the whole way. Even on a clear day, after the 2200' mark, the winds really whip up and you can find yourself in a cold cloud. No shame in turning around at Puppy Dog Point. 

Got to the trailhead at ~8am on a Sunday morning and only a handful of cars were there. Lot was only half full when we returned at about 1p but this was still early in the season. 

I can see why it's a popular hike for it's accessibility and views, but it wasn't my favorite, tbh. Lot of effort but not a lot to see along the way. 

Hiked this on an evening weekday.  Up and down in an hour and thirty minutes.  Much shorter trail than what is posted on the map.  WTA's 6 mile trail length is more accurate than the 7.6 estimate you get at the parking lot.  Took the way hard route on the way up and hard route on the way down.  I didn't notice much of a difference.

Apparently there is a notice for weekend permits, but why wait for the weekend.  This trail is a 45 minute drive from Vancouver.  On a Wednesday night there were three cars in the parking lot when I pulled up, and two different cars on my way out.  About 5 groups of hikers in the evening, makes for a pleasant spring night.

The trail is in great condition and the views of the river valley are hard to beat.  Don't forget to stop in Carson or Stevenson to support your local small town eateries.