Dog mountain permits available now

Permits for the popular trails on Dog Mountain and Augspurger Mountain will be available again for the 2025 hiking season starting March 15. They are required for each vehicle parking at the trailhead on Saturdays and Sundays between April 26 and June 15, as well as Memorial Day. 

The permits apply to all occupants of one vehicle, and someone in the group needs to carry the permit at all times during your hike.

Permits will be available online at recreation.gov beginning March 15. Anyone driving to the trailhead will need to reserve their permit online before they arrive. The permits are free, but there is a $2 non-refundable administrative fee from recreation.gov. The parking lot at Dog Mountain is quite small, so carpooling is strongly encouraged.

Please note: recreation.gov refers to these permits as a reservation, but securing a permit does not guarantee a parking space at Dog Mountain Trailhead.

Visitors driving themselves to the trailhead will also need a parking pass, required because Dog Mountain is part of the US Forest Service trail system in the Columbia River Gorge. Acceptable parking passes are: Northwest Forest Passes or interagency, senior or military passes for federal lands. Northwest Forest Passes can be purchased for $5 for the day. Discover Passes are not accepted.

Take Transit (seriously)

Unlike in past years, those taking transit will not need a permit for the trail, meaning you can skip both the parking pass and the Dog Mountain permit and head straight to the trail if you take the Dog Mountain Shuttle.