Monday morning was a perfect time to hike this trail.  I heard that flowers were not quite at peak, but it is hard to imagine a more beautiful display.  The trail is steep and taxing through the forest, but once you emerge into the flowers, it is all worthwhile.  We took the Augsberger Mountain trail down. Nice view of Mt. St. Helens and different views of river.  Also, a few different wildflowers along that path (including 3 tiny orchids in the forest).  Still, I would opt for hiking the Dog Mountain trail down the next time to enjoy the wildflowers and Puppy Lookout from a different perspective.

What a beautiful day for a long road trip to Dog Mountain from Seattle with two awesome friends!  We arrived at the closest parking lot around 9AM and were able to get parking there.  Get to this hike EARLY!  We did this last year during peak flower season.  The flowers are NOT in full bloom yet. Sure, you'll see plenty, but there are a lot that haven't bloomed.  We guessed they will be in full bloom in two weeks.  If you don't care about this, then go now.  If you want to see more flowers, wait!  Special note-they are blooming a lot at the first viewpoint but not so much at the summit.  The flower show will only get better in a week or two! The views on this hike are pretty darn amazing.

This isn't an easy hike.  It pretty much just goes up and up until the end! The sign is now missing at the fork. We went left for a "more difficult" route. We descended on the other trail going down.

My friend hiked with her dog.  There were quite a few dogs on the trail! There is a restroom at the trailhead (bring TP). Lots of friendly hikers, and the parking lot was packed when we got back down. We clocked about 7.6 miles with our route.

My buddy and I (late 40s/early 50s) hiked Dog Mountain yesterday (Wed May 17, 2017).  Started at 10am.  Lots of parking.  Trail was in good condition - a fair amount of poison oak during the first 1/2 mile of steep switchbacks, but then didn't see much afterwards.  Trail became a little muddy/slick for the last 1/4 mile before exiting the treeline, making the descent a little precarious in spots, but not too bad.  Spring conditions were the order of the day yesterday - we had some sunbreaks, but primarily breezy while in the trees, and windy and misty at the top, with limited/sporadic longer range visibility.  Wildflowers were in full bloom (small field at Puppy Point, huge fields covering the top of the mountain), so it was well worth continuing to the top despite the blowing mist that otherwise made views of the Columbia and the rest of the Gorge somewhat limited along the "scenic" (and slightly - 0.2 mile - longer) route of the hike and at the top.  (We took the "scenic" option rather than the slightly shorter but more direct/steep route up; you can choose which way to go at the signpost after the first 1/2 mile of steep switchbacks - options are scribbled onto the post at the fork of the trail; the "scenic" route is to the right).  Last 0.8 mile of the hike (once above the treeline) was very cold and windy, but beautiful - not only of for the wildflowers in bloom, but even the blowing mist, which gave everything an eerie feel.  Very glad we had brought our puffy jackets, rain shell, winter hats and gloves, although we saw some people in shorts and a sweatshirt (they seemed a bit chilly...).  Presumably the warmer weather that is coming our way will change conditions somewhat (I think yesterday's high in Hood River was forecast to be mid-50s; temp at top yesterday was probably low 40s if that), but still best to be prepared, especially at the top.  We took our time on the way up - 2.5 hrs; down in 1.5 hours.  Have fun!

Went hiking on Dog Mountain for the first time on Sunday. Really nice trail in the spring! There were balsamroots everywhere, with some trillium and indian paintbrush sprinkled in here and there. Most of the mountain seems to be blooming pretty hard right now, but not so much on the summit. 

The trail was in good shape. The weather was very fickle when we went. 5 minutes of sun, 5 minutes of rain, 5 minutes of fog, on repeat. Trail was a bit muddy, and on the steeper sections could be difficult without decent boots. Also a word of warning, if you go on a wet day be very careful with your footing up near the summit. The rocks/mud on the trail can be slippery at times and it is a pretty sheer drop off if you were to lose your footing.

Overall, a beautiful hike with tons of flowers and great views of the gorge. If you've never been, I definitely recommend it!