This hike has been on my bucket list for a while and I wanted to do it while the wildflowers were out. Doing it on a weekday means somewhat less crowds and no permit needed but parking will still be an issue. Arrived at the parking lot at 9 am to a mostly full lot. Definitely recommend coming earlier to get parking (but we had a four hour drive and had left at 5 am…that’s the breaks!) 

  There is a privy about 100 yards from the trailhead with fully stocked toilet paper.
  It was wonderful to hike without our masks on as we are fully vaccinated.  Seems like everyone else on the trail were also! (Yeah!)  Most of the trail is in the forest with some trillium, lupine, and buttercups blooming with a smattering of balsamroot .  As we reached the open areas, the famous sea of yellow balsamroots with lupine assail your eyes with the mighty Columbia River and Oregon in the background.  Recommend taking your pictures at Puppy point before heading up  to Dog Mountain proper (much less crowded and better shots of the balsamroots!)  Lots and lots of folks enjoying the sunshine at the viewpoint near the top.  We did hike a bit further up to the Dog Mountain summit but it is brushy with no views and we turned around when the trail petered out.  The best views of Mt Adams, however, are along this section of the trail.  Nice views of Mt St Helen and Mt Hood on this clear day.  Balsamroots are at peak and lupine are just starting  It is windy at the top making it a tad chilly so don’t forget your windbreaker!  

Flowers are blooming everywhere now. Best to come weekday before 9am for a parking spot. Great views en route along with Mt Hood & Adams in sight.

Flowers are blooming everywhere now. Best to come weekday before 9am for a parking spot. Great views en route along with Mt Hood & Adams in sight.

Got to parking lot by 9:05 on Wednesday and lot was full. lucked into a front row spot from an early hiker leaving. Eventhough trail was busy it never felt over crowded. It helps that most do this as a loop counterclockwise so you don't run into too many people coming towards you. The wildflowers are spectacular right now! Been waiting 2 yrs to get to this one. So worth the wait and 6 hours round trip driving.
Trail in good condition and didn't see anyone tromping in the wildflowers. A couple spots in forest on the way up were super buggy but didn't last long.
80 degrees with sunshine and just enough wind to keep you from getting too hot up top. I can see how this one could easily be very cold up top in different weather. Great time to get out and see those flowers.
Gaia tracked hike at 7.1 miles and just under 2800 ft of elevation gain.

May 11, the flowers were out in full bloom and barely a breath of wind...which I'd say is rare. Note that there are flowers only at the Puppy Dog viewpoint and higher elevation, the lower part of the hike with most of the elevation gain is all forest. In the forest, beware of Poison Oak. This is definitely a strenuous hike so be prepared.

But even more than being prepared for the hike, be sure to park in the right spot. People had parked on the side of the highway, facing west bound traffic, basically in front of the NO PARKING signs and were getting towed...boy, that's going to make for a long and bad day.

Getting back to the hike, up at the top, look for views of Mt. Hood, St. Helens, and Rainier. Yeah, it was a perfect day, not every day you can see Rainier from what is virtually the edge of Oregon. Took the Augsberger Mtn trail down, I'm all for steep uphill and gentle downhill, or at least gentler.