Trail: The main trail loop (Augspurger to Dog and back to the trailhead) is in good shape. There were some muddy spots higher up the trail, but they were minimal and easily navigated. You can navigate the trail as an out and back, or you can do the loop with the Augspurger Trail. I’d recommend doing the loop, however, it is a bit longer (but with a generally more moderate incline/decline on the Augspurger Trail). The Augspurger Trail - towards Augspurger Summit - is very overgrown in a handful of places. A well-defined trail does exist beneath the overgrowth, but it can be tedious at times. The turnoffs on this trail are also not especially obvious - I would recommend having a GPS track so you know when to start looking for trail branches.

FLOWER STATUS: Full bloom but diminishing. A handful of flowers have already bloomed and are finished. A handful are on the upward trend still. The majority are in full bloom (if slightly on the decline). I expect there will be flowers for a while still, but this week is probably the last of the "prime time" season... realistically, probably by early next week.

Bugs: Minimal. Not an issue.

Road: Parking lot for the trail is immediately off the highway.

Gear: Can be done in low cut hiking or trail running shoes. Some folks will find trekking poles useful due to the incline. I recommend a GPS if the Augspurger Mountain summit is in your plans. Might also recommend a pair of waterproof pants/shoes if going to Augspurger in the AM (the dew on the overgrowth is enough to soak shoes and there are some prickles present in the overgrowth as well).

More Complete Trail Summary:

Dog Mountain Summit: Very straightforward. I did the loop in reverse (Augspruger to Dog Mountain route), but I might recommend doing it the other way (if Dog Mountain is the only destination). The incline is more significant on the Dog Mountain trail, which makes the decline less severe if you use the Augspruger trail on the way back down. The Dog Mountain Trail is very well marked, has minimal obstacles, and is generally very easy to follow. The elevation gain is pretty significant, particularly considering the distance. There are actually two Dog Mountain Trails - the old and the new trail. Both are very well defined and end up in the same location. The Old trail is about a ⅓ to ½ of a mile shorter than the new trail - as such, the incline is more severe. So choose your own adventure on that. The views are best just below the summit. The actual summit is treed and offers no real views - but is only a minute or two past the the best viewpoint.

Augspurger Mountain Summit: Less straightforward than Dog, but not technically difficult. From the spur of the Augspurger/Dog Mountain trails, continue traveling north - you’ll know it’s the right direction because you will immediately begin losing elevation (about 400’ or so in total). This is the point where the trail is most overgrown - albeit intermittently. If you don’t get deterred by the overgrowth in the first 1/3rd of a mile on the descent, you should be good the rest of the way. After descending, the trail will dump you onto an old forest road, which you will follow for a good distance. The incline is moderate and after the overgrowth, the forest road is a welcome respite to be honest. After some distance on the road, you will come to a sharp turn (the turn goes left) on the road - this is your cue to look to the right for a trail leading into the forest. A sign exists, but it is not prominent. I threw some logs onto the road as a visual cue, but I’m sure someone will move them eventually.
IF you miss the turn, you can rejoin the trail higher up - however - this will add some distance and a bit of off-trail navigation. IF you do not have a GPS, I strongly discourage this.
Assuming you find the trail, you will follow it as it gradually winds up to a ridgeline where it meanders for a bit. There is overgrowth here as well, but it is generally less invasive than earlier. The trail is well-defined from here on out - follow it to a fully-treed summit. There was a trail that extended past the summit, presumably to get a view looking northward. I was in a hurry so I took a quick break and then started back towards Dog. One last thing. As you approach the ascent back to the Dog/Augspurger junction, you should be paying attention for a trail (on the left) going into the woods towards the ridgeline. I missed it on the way down and had to backtrack to find it. It is well-defined, but it lacks physical cues and is easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.

Total distance: 14.4 miles (averaged between two GPS devices)
Elevation Gain: 5,380 feet (averaged between two GPS devices)

Took Dog Mountain Shuttle from Stevenson which is free and allows you to hike Augspurger-Dog mountain if you don't have a weekend permit, https://www.ridecatbus.org/dog-mountain-shuttle/.

Augspurger trail was in great shape up to the junction with Dog Mountain.  From here, sections of the trail were overgrown and hard to follow at times. GPS was very helpful to make sure I was on trail.  Saw no one else on the trail other than a black bear that got spooked.  There is some blow down but easy to step over.  Views of the Gorge were limited.  There were some nice wildflowers on sections of the trail.  Summit is forested without any views. 

Detoured onto Dog Mountain on way back.  Section from Augspurger to Dog Mountain is gorgeous right now with wildflowers.  Balsamroot on Dog Mountain past its peak but still pretty.  Total stats on hike was 5500 ft eg and 15 miles.  I was glad to be taking shuttle back to give my legs a rest.  

According to multiple websites, the Augsburger Mountain Trail is a difficult 12.5-mile hike with a 4,400-foot elevation gain. That being said, we opted for the shorter 3.7 mile hike that starts from the Augsburger Mountain Trailhead and loops back on the Dog Mountain Trail. The lower section of the trail was moderately steep hiking through Douglas-fir / White Oak forest with hardly any understory. The only wildflowers we saw were a few Nuttall's Toothwort (Cardamine nuttallii). Not too far up the trail we came to a sign saying, “Old Loggers Trail” that we assumed was the trail that connected to the Dog Mountain trail. We followed the “Old Loggers Trail” to the east hoping it was the correct trail. This section of the trail was fairly level and offered a few glimpses of the Columbia River Gorge to the south. Thankfully the trail did connect to the Dog Mountain trail where there was a sign showing two options to reach Dog Mountain, “Difficult” and “More Difficult”. Having hiked to Dog Mountain before, I knew the sign wasn’t kidding. All in all, it was a OK day hike but I don’t think it will make my top 10 list.

After doing Hamilton Mt. last weekend, continued on with the 100 Classic Washington Hikes and finally saw the famous spring bloom on Dog Mountain.  It was incredible!  Wildflowers are still at their peak. 

I patiently waited to get a permit at 7AM sharp days prior and within approx 20 seconds all 40 permits were gone - guess I was too slow.  Anyways I'm glad I looked into the shuttle.  Parked at the fairground lot in Stevenson and took the free bus shuttle to Dog Mountain - NO PERMIT IS EVEN REQUIRED IF YOU TAKE THE SHUTTLE!!!  Crowds were surprisingly minimal given the fact that this is peak season for this hike and it was a Saturday.  Hiked with a dog that made it to the top which was impressive because this hike was hard - especially the section after the Difficult / More Difficult trails merge.  That could only be described as insanely brutal.  Not much to add to the description that hasn't already been said many times by others - it was simply sublime.

After reaching the summit, took the Augsperger Trail back to the parking lot which provided even more incredible wildflower views and a far more pleasant descent on the knees than the Dog Mt trail.  It was an excellent loop and I would strongly recommend to do this instead of doing the out-and-back.  Only encountered one solo backpacker and 2 couples with dogs on the Augsperger trail on the way down.  There was also plenty of shade.  Took the free shuttle back to the parking lot and went to bed completely exhausted and very early that night.

In summary - the permit system is clearly working to keep the crowds at bay - do yourself a favor and take the free shuttle to/from Stevenson and enjoy this amazing hike during peak wildflower season for free.  Just be prepared for a killer workout and take plenty of water.  Toilets at the trailhead were also well stocked and in good order.  Two folks were checking permits at the trailhead - if you take the bus you get a hand stamp that serves as your permit.  Enjoy!

We report on the trail quality from the Augspurger North Trailhead to Augspurger mountain.  A WTA volunteer trail crew worked alongside  two National Forest seasonal workers.  Together we undertook trail restoration and brushing from the trailhead (located next to a quarry) and heading south.  The equipment was power brushers, saws, loppers, green grubbers, self-cleaning rakes, and McClouds.  WTA was last here in 2017, and we returned to take on five years of growth.  Photos are visuals of our mission.  

The day was warm, but a cool breeze helped.  This is a mixed conifer forest with Douglas Fir, Hemlock Fir, Noble Fir, Western Red Cedar, and the rare Western White Pine.  The squirrels are just now taking down ripe Noble cones (found on the trail).  Most of the trail is in an aging forest with a closed canopy and sparse understory.  The beauty of this trail is taking in the north view at first and then by mile two a south view overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.  One of the features which may hesitate trail runners and horsemen is the rock scree that need crossing at Mile 0ne.  Loose rocks are ankle twisters and the steepness of the rock slide intimidating.  Its one of the reason why most hikers come up from the south and turn around at Mount Augspurger instead of finishing the full trail and slogging uptrail again.  

The trip in from Home Valley, WA (Highway 14) to the trailhead takes 45 minutes of a road jolting trip requiring a high clearance 4-WD vehicle (the shorter route is washed out).  The parking area is not easy to spot but is next to the trailhead with space for 6 cars.