Arrived at the trailhead at around 3:30p. Lot of people were leaving the trail so parking was pretty freely available. Around the last 1/3 of the trail bugs became a huge annoyance. You could even see them in a bunch of pictures I took! Lots of wildflowers, but you could tell they were past their peak. View from puppy lookout and at the top were excellent. I was able to see the top of Mount Hood.

To have done this hike MANY times and I now realize that it is a miserable, steep hike. That being said, the misery of the first 2.5 miles is worth the phenomenal wildflowers and views in the last mile. My 8 year-old daughter hiked it with me. It is possible to hike with older kids if you take breaks and bring a snack. Definitely pack layers or at least a jacket; it can be VERY windy up top. If you want a climb with much more enjoyable hiking, try Hamilton Mountain, across the highway from Beacon Rock. Also, Dog Mountain is COVERED with poison oak at the lower elevations, so watch out!

Lovely hike! The first part of the trail follows switchbacks through the woods, then it opens up to a magnificent view of the Columbia River Gorge. Most of the trail after that point is out in the open and is surrounded on all sides by slopes just completely packed with blooming flowers: yellow balsam root, purple lupine, red paintbrush, and more! Absolutely breathtaking! As for nuisances, we did notice that there were quite a few annoying bugs (big gnats?) in the wooded parts of the hike- so it would be wise to pack bug spray. If you keep moving they aren't so bad, but as soon as you stop, a few will land on you. There was also an excessive amount of poison oak growing on the edges of the path until the trail breaks free from the woods, so be careful and wear long pants! Also, there are rattlesnakes living on this mountain, but we didn't see any (although many hikers do).

Left Portland around 5:30am and got to the trailhead around 6:45am. There were three other cars in the lot before me so there was plenty of parking. The climb is steep and the hike is tough. You're grateful for the shorter length half way up. That being said, I gave myself 7 hours to do this hike (including driving and lingering time) and I was back at the car in 3 hours and back in Portland in four. (It was a foggy day, which meant I didn't linger at the top.) The wild flowers are lovely right now but I can tell I missed their prime. I doubt they'll last much longer than a few weeks-- and they'll only look more chewed up. I passed a few dozen people on my way down. If you want to beat the crowds, I suggest hitting the trail before 7:30am. It seems that's when folks really started showing up and people were pouring in by the time I hit the bottom of the trail. I got to my car around 9:45am and the parking lot as well as the next closest overflow lot were full. I saw folks parking at the lot after, which I'd estimate to be 0.5-1mile from the trailhead.

Started the hike about 10:45 a.m. Trailhead parking lot was full (probably about 40-50 cars) - got one of the last marked spots. Took my mini poodle Ella (she loves to hike). Did a 7 mile loop, starting at the Augsberger trailhead (the trail that is the furthest west at the trailhead parking lot). First 4.1 miles is uphill and mostly through the forest on the east side of the mountain. Shady, no wind, and good trail. A fairly large downed tree blocks the trail, which requires one to climb over the top (had to pick up the pooch). A short section of the trail is a bit overgrown, but no issues. Nearing mile 4 you break out into the open, toward the south side of the mountain. There the sunlight (and wind) hit you in the face and you begin to see the beautiful yellow wildflowers that cover the south facing portion of the mountain. At the upper most portion of the trail there is a nice place to sit (probably about 20 people there when I had lunch, but doesn't feel crowded) and look out over the CRG in all its beauty. On the descent I stayed on the outer loop (longest and least steep descent). After a little loop off the main trail, you rejoin the trail and soon are back in the forest/shady areas. Got back to the car at about 3:00 and headed back to Portland. All in all a very nice hike. I've done most of my CRG hiking on the Oregon side, but this was worth it.