Dog Mountain
Southwest Washington
As of mid-June 2026, Dog Mountain's wildflower bloom is largely past peak, with balsamroot fading. However, other wildflowers like lupine, Indian paintbrush, and phlox may still be visible. The trail is steep with sections of loose gravel, especially on descent. Hiking poles and good traction footwear are recommended.
Parking is available at the trailhead, but it fills up quickly, especially on weekends. A recreation pass is required. While some reports note plentiful parking early, others suggest arriving early on Fridays for a spot.
No snow is reported on the trail. Ticks have been noted in late spring, so insect repellent is advised. The summit can be windy. Some hikers opt for the Augspurger Trail for a gentler descent, adding mileage but saving knees.
generated from 40 reports
Sources
We arrived at the trailhead parking lot around 7:30 a.m., and there were still plenty of parking spaces available. A sign at the lot indicated that a recreation pass was required, although we noticed ...
This popular hike has very easy access - parking lot is right off Hwy 14. For most people the hike up should take you somewhere between 2 to 3 hours. About 30 minutes into the hike you reach a junctio...
We started the hike around 8:00 a.m. on a Monday, so parking was plentiful and easy to find. The weather was absolutely perfect, making for an ideal day on the trail.The hike itself was challenging, w...
If you, like me, have never been there during balsamroot bloom season before, it is totally worth the trip. It was probably past the peak. The weather was cloudy and the wind was so strong on the top ...
This was a fabulous hike as usual especially if you are into wildflowers. The mountain is ablaze in signature bright yellow balsamroot flowers interspersed with Indian paintbrush and lupines and other...
Been doing this one for years.So about the flowers.Thought the pics of yellow balsamroot from recent trail reports would hold up, and they did a bit, but looks like I hit it past peak bloom this year....
peak wildflower season. absolutely gorgeous on a sunny day out. please do yourself a favor and go as soon as you can.did the whole 6 mile loop in about 3 hours (20 min of that was probably just sittin...
Hiking Dog Mountain at springtime wildflower peak was a bucket list level dream come true!Parking lot was less than 1/3 full at 8:30 on a weekday. I waited until the rain mostly stopped. Several trail...
The Balsmroots are still strong at the top! Those at the lower viewpoint are also beautiful though a bit fading (maybe it’s just smaller patches and how they were shaped by winds, it’s not like petals...
First time and understand why it is considered a hard hike! tons of wildflowers on 5/11 but majority of the hike is through shaded forest until the very end.
Want to ask something specific about Dog Mountain?
Use AI-powered search to dig into trip reports for this trail.
Search Dog Mountain