Yesterday enjoyed this difficult hike with many rewards as flowers and expansive views 

LOST MY HIKING POLES TOWARD  THE END OF HIKE

Arrived on Wednesday at 9am. Parking lot had less than a dozen or so vehicles. Make sure you have your passes up on display!
The trail is clear and easy to follow. I took the ‘more difficult’ way up and the ‘difficult’ way down. The ‘more difficult’ way up is a long and steady upward incline. There are no views overlooking any vantage points. It’s through the forest. The ‘Difficult’ way isn’t much different, but there is a small stretch that overlooks the Columbia River Gorge. Anyways, once you break out of the forest and into the clear, you will see the wildflowers. They are a little past their prime, but they look beautiful nonetheless. It was very windy at the top. The trail in this part of the hike is very gravelly and rocky, so mind your step. Anyways, going through the forest is an uphill challenge, but the views beyond that are great.

Trip Stats: 8:36 miles, 4 hours 20 minutes, 3058 ft vertical

Arrived around noon to a full parking lot, with overflow cars parked 1/2 a mile away in both directions. Luckily a number of folks were just finishing up,  and it was short 10 minute wait for a spot. This is a fee area - a National Forest Pass or equivalent, or you can scan the QR code at the trailhead and pay thru your phone at Recreation.gov ($5).

Headed up Dog Mountain trail, taking the "difficult" instead of "more difficult" route at the first junction (hey... it's early season and more adventures await this weekend). The trail passes thru a couple of different climatic zones, from dry (and beautiful) Oak forest, to more traditional PNW Douglas Fir forest. Soon, you are above treeline surrounded by a flower explosion. Mt Hook starts to loom about the mountain range above the Oregon side of The Gorge. The Balsamroot is definitely fading (Thursday's rain likely did not help),  but that means more Paint Brush and Lupine. We bushwhacked a bit at the top thinking views of Mt St Helens would open up... instead there was a lot of mud, and just peak-a-boo views.

Took the Augspurger Trail down. It was quite muddy and overgrown (was that poison oak?!) for a significant section, and not as many flowers as Dog Mountain, but this combination makes for a nice loop, and the Oak forest was especially nice near the bottom.

Finished up the afternoon at Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson - nice spot with lots of outdoor seating.

Got to the trailhead around 11 and there was only room for 3 more cars at the pullout just before the actual parking lot which was PACKED. People were parking in creative ways. The restroom is a tiny walk up the trail and was out of toilet paper. Definitely not the hike for solitude, but great for catching the balsam root before it's gone. Went up the difficult side and down the Augspurger trail where there was 1 log to hop over. Damp in areas, but not muddy. Shout out to all the dog owners I encountered that were being so respectful of people and other dogs! For such a heavily trafficked trail, I was surprised to see absolutely no trash. Poison oak is especially plentiful on the trail up. No water sources available. Bugs were present, but not bothersome at all.

Included a quick video of the hike.

A quick jaunt on a roadtrip. We took the “more difficult” way up and down, which didn’t seem too difficult at the time but my calves sure hurt today! The trail is in good shape, one downed tree you can step over and not too rocky or muddy. It was raining - lightly in the woods but much harder at the top. Wildflowers are past peak and the balsamroot will be gone soon.