Remember to plan ahead for accessing the trail. Like it says above, you need to get permits through rec.gov for parking. I scored permits for parking a day before. They sold out almost instantly. Make sure you have a permit to park at the trailhead. There were notes at the info board that said they will tow your car if you don't have one.
We dispersed camped nearby the night before. There are a ton of pull offs that you can sleep at. Just remember that the train tracks are the most active at night.
We started the hike around 5:15am and finished around 9:35am. We took the "more difficult" trail (left at the fork) up which honestly isn't horrible. It basically shoots straight up the mountain and is free of switchbacks. There are no viewpoints of the gorge on this route, it is all forested and very beautiful. If you take the harder route up and down you cut out about 0.8 miles of the total roundtrip.
Prepare for the last mile to be very difficult. Both the "difficult" and "more difficult" trails combine here. It's more steep than the entire rest of the trail.
Wildflowers are completely covering the summit. It's really really beautiful. Once you reach the flat area at the top, Puppy Dog Viewpoint is to the right. Take the trail that goes up to the left and go 0.3 miles to reach the official Dog Mountain viewpoint. The trail continues on essentially infinitely after that. At 7:00ish the view at the very top was covered with fog so we didn't go up there. If you reach the top around 8 or 9 or even later it should be completely clear.
We took the "difficult" trail on the way down. It was a knee saver and honestly a lot easier than the "more difficult" trail. There is one viewpoint of the gorge this way and the rest is forested. There were a lot more people on trail now as the bus was in service. If you have a dog, it might be better to take the "more difficult" trail down so you don't run into as many people. The "more difficult" trail is also wider.
There were forest service employees stationed at the trailhead when we got back down. They are great to talk to if you have any questions about difficulty! I'm sure they will be present for the rest of the season.
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