Our video of the Dog Mountain hike highlights
I downed some water and considered the fork in the trail ahead. Bryan and I had been hiking straight uphill through the trees for the last twenty minutes, so I brushed sweat out of my eyes and squinted at the sign tacked to a tree trunk.
Engraved lettering indicated the right fork in the trail was “Difficult.” The same lettering pointed left and simply read, “More Difficult.”
I grinned and met Bryan’s gaze.
When at the junction of Difficult and More Difficult, which do you choose? It seemed like a question that might’ve cropped up in Ethics class. But it didn’t take us long to decide the Difficult route would definitely be best.
Regardless of whether you choose Difficult or More Difficult on the Dog Mountain hike, this hike is worth it. Hiking Dog Mountain is like stepping into the Sound of Music set.
After criss-crossing upward with dizzying steepness, the Dog Mountain trail suddenly emerges from the trees, and the whole Columbia River Gorge appears before you beneath magnificent fields of wildflowers. The Dog Mountain hike is one of the best wildflower hikes in the Pacific Northwest and one of the top overall hikes in the Columbia River Gorge.
In today’s post, I’ll share the highlights of hiking Dog Mountain and how to see the Dog Mountain wildflowers yourself.
Highlights of the Dog Mountain Hike
Dog Mountain Wildflowers
After emerging from the forest below, the Dog Mountain hike follows additional switchbacks up through extensive wildflower meadows. These high meadows teem with a magnificent wildflower ensemble in the spring and early summer.
From a distance, the hillsides seem painted yellow with a thick sheen of balsamroot, a wildflower related to sunflowers. Dog Mountain wildflowers also feature splashes of purple lupine and bright red paintbrush that create striking contrasts with the yellow balsamroot flowers.
Views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mountain Peaks
Even if you don’t do the Dog Mountain hike during wildflower season, it provides some of the best views of the Columbia River Gorge. On a sunny day, you’ll also catch glimpses of three much larger, snow-capped mountains in the distance. As we climbed, we caught sight of Mount St Helens and Mount Hood. And on the final approach to the Dog Mountain summit, we even saw Mount Adams. That’s a rare sighting for us!
The Unexpected Dog Mountain Summit
There’s a bizarre twist about Dog Mountain: right before the summit itself, the trail turns and enters a thicket of salmonberry bushes and vine maple trees. The summit itself is totally socked in! Check it out in the photo below.
I think this adds to Dog Mountain’s charm.
Tips for Hiking Dog Mountain
Biting Flies on the Dog Mountain Hike
We encountered a lot of biting flies on the Dog Mountain hike, so just be on the lookout for them! They’re not really a problem if you keep moving, but if you stop too much to take pictures, the swarm will descend…
Poison Oak on the Dog Mountain Hike
Dog Mountain is in a transition zone between the wet ecosystem west of the Cascades and the dry landscapes east of the Cascades. The plants and animals from both zones appear along the Dog Mountain hike, nestled in slightly different microclimates created by the varying elevations and slope directions along the trail’s length. Sometimes, turning a corner on the Dog Mountain hike will reveal a totally different landscape!
There’s a healthy population of poison oak mixed in, so look out for it on your hike and try not to touch it! The oils can transfer from surface to surface, so it’s difficult to get rid of once it’s on your skin or clothes. Some people react to it with an itchy rash, and it’s also possible to develop a reaction over time if you don’t react at first.
If you do touch poison oak, here’s a resource from the American Academy of Dermatology on how to best get the oils off of skin and clothes. They recommend washing with warm water and soap as soon as you can. We’ve also used Tecnu in the past, which is a product specifically made for washing off poison oak and poison ivy oils.
You can identify poison oak by its leaves (see photo below for an example). They look like oak leaves in shape, but the leaves appear in sets of three.
Ticks and Rattlesnakes on the Dog Mountain Hike
Signs posted at the Dog Mountain trailhead warned about the presence of ticks and rattlesnakes. Luckily, we didn’t see any of those!
At this point you might be thinking, “Biting flies, poison oak, ticks, and rattlesnakes? Is this really such an awesome hike?!”
I would say a definite yes! The key is just to know what to look out for.
Parking and Permits for the Dog Mountain Hike
Dog Mountain is on the Washington side of the Columbia River, a little over an hour’s drive east of Portland. The fastest way to get there from Portland is usually by crossing the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods (depending on traffic). There is a toll on the bridge, so just be aware of that when planning.
Hiking Dog Mountain during the projected peak wildflower bloom season requires permits on weekends and Memorial Day. In 2022, the dates were April 23 – June 12th. It will vary from year to year. We actually did our hike on June 25th, which was after the permit window had closed. The balsamroot flowers were a little past their peak, but still striking. If you miss the peak bloom window or can’t get a permit, I’d still recommend going later in the season!
The permits aren’t expensive, but they are limited, so make sure to reserve them in advance if you go during peak season. Here is the permit reservation link.
To park, you’ll also need an America the Beautiful pass, a Northwest Forest pass, or pay a per-vehicle fee on site. Check out the Forest Service website for up-to-date information on parking and trail conditions.
How to Know if the Dog Mountain Wildflowers are Blooming
The hiking permit dates are a good indication of the anticipated peak bloom season for Dog Mountain, but another great resource is the NW Wildflowers Bloom Map. Popular wildflower destinations in the Pacific Northwest are all indicated as circles on the map, and the color-coding shows whether they’re likely in bloom, and how strongly they’re likely blooming if so.
Water
The Dog Mountain hike is one of the more challenging hikes in the Columbia River Gorge since it has so much climb. There’s also a lot of sun exposure, so I’d recommend bringing a lot of water with you. We brought two water bottles each.
On the day we visited, we actually passed a couple of rangers who had brought extra water for people who forgot theirs. I think that’s likely not always the case, though!
Cell Phone Reception at Dog Mountain
Bryan was on call for work the last time we did the Dog Mountain hike, which meant we had to be in range of cell phone signal. If you’re in the same boat, the Dog Mountain hike is a good option. It probably helps to be way out in the open on a mountainside… Cell service will likely vary over time and from carrier to carrier. We’re on T-Mobile, and we last checked the cell phone reception at Dog Mountain in June 2022.
Route Choices for the Dog Mountain Hike
There are a couple of options for the hike down from Dog Mountain. We chose the intersecting Augspurger Trail on the way down, which makes a longer but more gradual loop hike. The whole hike was about 7 1/2 miles done this way. This Oregon Hikers trail entry describes this route option in more detail. AllTrails outlines a slightly shorter, 6 1/2-mile option.
Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest
Thanks for joining us on the Dog Mountain hike! For more travel ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.
Happy exploring!
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