encountered every kind of weather on the trail today. Trail was muddy on last mile up and very high winds at the top above tree line.

at the top junction we ducked to the right and looped around the backside to avoid the high winds. The trail back there is less used and starting to grow over but there are flags and markers to help guide the way. there is snow on the ground in some sections on the back side as well.

Trail in great shape, took the “difficult” right fork. Some sections were surprisingly steep, at the final 1 mile sign I was thankful for my pole!

Took us about 3 hours round trip. Began at 8:45 am and plenty of parking available. Finished by noon and still spots available.

Great fall colors. Most people were good about social distancing, mask wearing was about 60%. Many off leash dogs, all thankfully had decent recall. 

1 tree across the trail, easy to step over. Frost was beautiful on the trees. Bring extra layers for the exposed sections and top. 

I had the privilege of being in Hood River for a couple of days, both of which were sunny.  Chose Dog Mountain and made it a loop hike.  This was my first time hiking down here and I would love to return and explore more trails.

Started at 1015 in the fog which was forecasted to burn off around 1100.  Hiked up the Dog mountain trail and stayed on the “new” trail which is described as difficult (the “old”trail is described as more difficult).  The intersection of the 2 trails is about 1/2 mile after the start.  The fog kept it nice and cool on the way up the steep and pristine trail.  It’s a wide path but so smooth, dry, and not rocky.  When the trail breaks out of the trees at “puppy viewpoint” the wind started picking up but it was nice and cool.  Put on a jacket and kept moving to the summit and layered up.  Amazing views of the gorge, the tip of Hood, Wind Mountain.  St Helen’s and Adams visible to the north.  Hung out for about an hour.  About 8-10 hikers seen all day.  Descended on the connector trail to Auspuger trail which is a more gradual decline and about 0.9 miles longer.  So worth it for the solitude and the views.  Saw a WTA work party, thank you!!  Took the same amount of time to ascent as it did to descend.  What a spectacular hike and workout.

Hiked this trail at 2pm on Wednesday on a gorgeous fall day. The gradient is pretty intense for the entire hike (around 18% average) and you definitely feel it on the way down. The trail is well maintained with plenty of wide bends to stop off and catch your breath. I'd estimate that about 1/2 of the trail is shaded in the forest and the other half is open and exposed. For such a beautiful afternoon, we only passed around 20 other folks, with a roughly equal split between masks/no masks. My dog is a trail warrior and she was ready for dinner, bed, and a massage as soon as we got back to the car. I was too but she wasn't offering! ;-)  

From the top of Dog Mountain on this clear, sunny day, we could see Mt. Hood, Mt. St Helens, and after a quick amble through trees to the other side, Mt. Rainier. Would do it again! 

Hiked this trail on a Monday in late-October, so the parking lot and trail were not busy. The parking lot is right off Highway 14 and has about 75 stalls. The WTA description of the hike  seemed very accurate - an ass-kicker for most of it with a few flat spots. Today was very cold so there was frost on the trail and a little bit of snow at the top. There were a few muddy parts toward the top. Poles would be helpful as it was pretty slick. The views are stunning. Downhill is hard on the knees (if you’re old like me). Poles are helpful here too. This hike is definitely a must if you’re in the area.