Fields of balsamroot in full bloom at the first lookout when you emerge from the forest, but still not blooming at the top — no lupine either. I could see the buds starting to form, so think it needs another week to be at its full glory. This hike is a killer, don’t underestimate the hard rating! Gorgeous view at the top (tip of Hood & Mt St Helens were clear), but for wildflower seekers like me, I prefer a lot of the other hikes in the area where you’re walking through flower fields for the majority of the hike. Dog Mountain is mostly shaded forest. 

Took the Augspurger trail back down, to make it a loop, which was nice because you can’t hear the road at all, like you can for a good portion going up Dog Mtn.

Signs on trail say 3.8 miles each way, so it’s more than 6 miles RT, especially if you add on the extra mile going back on Augspurger. More like 8-9 miles. 

Arrived around 9a on Friday and plenty of room in the parking lot. Not super crowded — maybe 8-10 other people spread out at the top eating lunch. 

At 7am, parking lot had only 7 cars. Trail was in good condition. Windy on the east side but was so inviting after that first mile ascent. Basalmroot flowers were just beginning to bloom. Beautiful day for a hike, no clouds, and views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood. On the way down, I ran into James and the WTA crew. They are an incredible team. I appreciate all of you and the hard work you all do. At 11am, the parking lot was completely full. Thank you WTA.

Lost wesding rings Dog Mountain 4/12/25

Howdy friends!

My wife dropped a carabiner holding her 2 wedding rings and a ring identifying type 1 diabetes. If anyone happens to stumble across these we would sure love to see them again. If you find them my email is andrew315burns@gmail.com. Safe hiking ! 

Balsamroot has not even started to bud on the upper meadow, but its a great time for trail work! Do you know when you are at the first great overlook ("Puppy") and see something that might be a trail that goes into the woods? (see photo) I frankly always thought it was a user trail. It is an actual trail that goes through the woods up to the summit (see map), so is a great option on those crazy windy days in the gorge. WTA has been working on this section regularly over the last few years, so the overgrown vine maple section is in great shape. 

Dog Mountain x 2.2! The top was socked in on my first loop (took the difficult route up, more difficult down) but there were beautiful sections of misty forest. At some point , I realized that I wanted an extra few hundred feet of elevation gain in order to bump my total over 6,000 feet for the day, so in between loops I added on an extra 1.2 miles by going up to the first junction and back to the parking lot. Finally, I went back up for the full second loop (more difficult route up, difficult down). That last loop was understandably exhausting, but featured the great views and blustery wind that this hike is known for.