Enjoyed a rain-free fall hike in the Columbia River Gorge. Forested trail emerges to breathtaking views. As you approach the summit, the trail crosses the open mountainside. We were socked in with cloud cover and ducked under a tree for lunch, only to emerge 15 minutes later to clear skies and miles of view.
As noted by others, it's a significant elevation gain, but not too difficult if you are in moderately good shape. Just take it at your own pace; reaching the top is worth it! For those of us over 50, the downhill portion is just a different sort of challenge; I felt the stress in my knees for sure. :)
This time of year, the parking lot was probably 1/3 full. We had a NW Forest Pass and paid the $5 day use permit fee. There are pit toilets just up the trail from the parking lot. We saw other hikers but I wouldn't say it was crowded, unlike the spring season. We were alone at the top when we got there.
We took the East leg of Dog Mountain trail going up, and came down the West leg of the trail. Will do this again and explore the Augspurger route back down. Spring goals!
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