Arrived TH at 9:15am. Already about 25-30 cars there. Couple of groups (church/youth?) getting ready to go. There was a Parks official checking for permits, talking to people, collecting 5 bucks.

Weather about 42 degrees, sunny, dry, no wind. This is a hike I do every spring but usually later in April because of snow. There was no snow this day at the top, and no wind, which is rare. Sunny and 56 degrees by noon. Several people basking in the sun at the top which faces South. Made coffee, ate my lunch and visited with others. Absolutely beautiful views! This outing, the trail took me about 2 hours and 5 minutes. Families and dogs (some leashed) on the way up. Encountered people who said they turned around before reaching the top.4

This trail is a good test of your legs and lungs for the early season. I elected to return to the TH by way of the Augsberger trail. (Doggy/Augie)  I do recommend this for anyone who experiences knee pain on steep downhills. I think Augie adds about a mile or so, but the rate of descent is easier on the quadriceps, and knees.

Restroom available at the trailhead, short distance from the parking lot. Your America the Beautiful pass is valid at the Trail Head, by the way.

There was snow starting at the bottom and throughout this hike. It was harder packed towards the top, and I felt very comfortable with microspikes. There were hikers without, but it would have been more difficult. It was cold and windy with no visibility at the top, but there were a couple good views going up!

Arrived at the trailhead at 8 am, to find a good sized parking lot with ample spots left being a mid October morning. This is the trailhead for two different trails, Dog Mountain and Augspurger Mountain. At first I did not think there were bathrooms at the trailhead, but they are located up the Dog Mountain trail about 100 yards. There is a sign at the trailhead describing the trail with a note that states it is a great training hike with it's steep inclines of 10-25% grade! 

After introductions and a daily briefing on what our crew of 11 volunteers would be doing we started our journey up the trail - our worksite for the weekend would be at the top loop, reclaiming the trail that is starting to become lost due to being overgrown. 

The first 1/2 mile of the trail has switchbacks, and just below the last switch back you go through a small oak grove which is vastly different from the rest of the trees that you've hiked through so far on the trail. At the 1/2 mile mark you have two choices go the 'difficult' 1.5 mile trail with a lower view point, of the 'more difficult' trail 1.2 miles to the next junction where these two trails meet up again. Our crew decided to go the steeper shorter route up to the worksite. 

Our assistant crew leaders were in the back of the group while our crew leader was in the front. The more difficult way is pretty straight up, a heart pounding, blood thumping out of breath sweaty hike up with tools. I was the last one in our group going slow with lots of little breaks what felt like every 10 steps! I was having mental battles with myself with how frustrating the trail was with how steep it was- and some personal battles I was going through. I knew it would be steep but I was not expecting this. (Side note, I've hike the Grand Canyon to the bottom and back up, and this trail is WORSE than the G.C. Bright Angel Trail. The Gorge is a mini Grand Canyon but this hike was kicking my butt!)

Once the two trails meet up again there is a sign that says 'Dog Mountain 1 mile' and then you look at the trail and it's just a steep as what you've been climbing up so far. Just keep going, a few more switch back and you'll be greeted with an open meadow above the Columbia River. after another 1/2 mile you'll reach Puppy Dog Lookout. A great place for a nice and much needed break overlooking the river with awesome views looking east towards Hood River Valley, and then to the west towards Beacon Rock. It took me 2.5 hours to get to this point. After the first real break since we left the trailhead at 9 I went to find some work on the trail - to get this lost trail found again. We worked on about a half mile of the trail removing branches and working on getting the trail back to what you'd want to hike on. 

From the top of Dog Mountain you can see Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Hood, along with some pretty epic views of the Columbia River. You can also see evidence of the Eagle Creek wildfire from 2017.

The hike back to the trailhead we opted for the easier on our knees down hill with the 1.5 mile 'difficult' trail. The view from the lower lookout was pretty spectacular. The hike back took us as a group about 2 hours with everyone going pretty much the same speed. 

Until next time- Happy Trails!

Very large parking lot and plenty of space when I arrived at a little after 8 am. I made my way up the trail with the WTA trail crew around about 9am and we reached the Puppy Dog view point at around 11am. The Puppy Point trail was overgrown, and so we started clearing brush and re-working tread. I think the trail was definitely more passable by the end of the day but still needed work, especially toward the top. A trail crew was due to return the next day.

We took a detour by the Dog Mountain view point before heading down the mountain. It was a beautifully clear day with views of the gorge, Mount Hood and Mount St Helens.

What can I say about this trail that hasn't been said already? It's definitely steep, steeper than I expected for what seems like a very popular trail in the right season - almost like the Mt. Si of the Columbia River Gorge come springtime. However, when I hiked it was middle of the day on a beautiful July day, and there were only a half dozen or so other cars in the lot, and we only shared the summit with a couple other groups, so the crowds definitely drop off after the flowers fade. While I can see why people wait to do this one until the flowers are blooming, as we only got to see the dead dried husks of the balsamroot covering the mountainside, it's still amazingly scenic on any clear day, as once above treeline the views extend from Mt. St. Helens to Mt. Hood from North to South, and Beacon Rock to the deserts of Eastern Washington from West to East, and the mountain's slopes have an alpine feel despite being less than 3,000 feet in elevation. All in all, a great trail in any season, definitely worth it once you get above the trees.