I did this hike on a weekday, as suggested by previous reviewers and found it delightfully still and peaceful. I had seen the previous warning about poison oak, so wore long pants. Good idea, as there were sections of the trail that were a bit overgrown with shrubs. Also, rattlesnake warnings were posted when I arrived. Putting on extra sensitive listening ears, I grabbed one of the handy walking sticks some generous soul had left at the trail head and headed up the right trail with plenty of water and picture snapping breaks (good excuses to breathe deeply and stretch out the calves a bit). At the first fork, I again went to the right -- the theoretically easier and more scenic route. It was certainly scenic. The views along the Columbia Gorge were delightful and reminded me a we bit of hiking in the Scottish Highlands. At the next fork, I had a chuckle at the helpful encouragement on the direction post and continued upwards . . . and upwards . . . and upwards . . . Rounding one corner, I could see Mt. St. Helen's off in the distance from an angle I hadn't viewed before. When I at last made it to the Lookout, I was very pleased. And breathless. And delighted that the route back could be via the Augspurger Mountain Trail -- much easier on knees and hips. It was down this trail along the screes where I encountered a rattling and buzzing echo that was a bit intimidating. Stop. Look. Listen. Think peaceable thoughts. I never did see a rattler, but there are definitely a couple of dens. So, pay attention. Arriving back at the trailhead -- now filled with cars -- I thanked the wonderful souls who had left walking sticks handy, blessed mine, and left it for the next traveler.

With weather temperatures going to be in mid 80s and the prediction of crowds on the trail, we arrived at the parking lot at 6:30 am and were the second car there. The breeze was very cool at that time of the morning and on the summit, so warm temperatures were not a problem. Trail is beautiful. A nice mix of oak trees, maples and fir trees was a nice change of scenery for the wooded section of the trail, as well as the tiny flowers all along. The balsam root at the top is past its prime, but still is showy with lupine and indian paint mixed in for good color. Views and vistas are prime, but don't forget about the rest of the trail and all it has to offer. The small stuff is great, too. We took the Augspurger trail down to finish the loop and were able to avoid the crowds that the full parking lot indicated.

I did this hike solo as I have done a few times before in the spring. This time the wildflowers were a little past their peak but still quite enjoyable. The sky was clear (some moisture/haze but not bad), the temperature was in the low sixties and there was a light breeze from time-to-time. Rather nice conditions for hiking. Five degrees cooler and a constant breeze would have made it perfect for me. When I arrived at the parking lot from Salem at 7:35 am there were only about 6 or 7 other vehicles there. I began the hike up the Dog Mountain Trail at 7:40 am. When I got back the lot was about 2/3 full! One gentleman I spoke to for a few moments after the hike in the parking area said he'd seen (and showed me the images in his camera) a Mountain Goat near the top of the trail! He was ahead of me for the whole hike so I never saw him except to speak with him in the parking lot after we'd both finished the hike. The only wildlife I encountered was a Garter Snake on the way down the Augspurger Trail. Several people passed me by on my way up - I'm slowing down in my 70's :) - but they were rather young so I guess I didn't do too badly as they were still on the top when I arrived. I descended using the Augspurger Trail since it's easier on my knees. It's only about a mile longer. All in all, a great hike!

The wild flowers were in full bloom on this hike (see photos), between that and the gorge below, the views were absolutely breath taking. The trail looks like it was recently maintained, and the conditions were dry despite rain the previous day. The steepest sections were just a bit wet and slippery (at Mile 2, just beyond upper junction with alternate route, and last 0.2 miles to summit), but overall it was a nice stroll.

I hiked with two friends, Mackenzie and Sarah, who brought her 2 dogs. There were a lot of other dogs on the appropriately named Dog Mountain, so if you don't have a well controlled animal, there can be issues.

If you are injured or not sure footed, or are with folks who fall into this category, I wouldn't recommend going the last 0.2 miles to the summit as the views do not improve (in fact, it's worse) and it is very steep. I personally like to summit peaks, so I wanted to get all the way to the top, but for the bulk of the casual hikers, it is probably not worth it.

We arrived at around 2:00 pm and were able to find a spot in the parking place. We took 2 hours to the top. The balsamroots are blooming now and in their peak.