Dog Mountain rises above the north side of the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...

in the U.S. state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The base of the mountain is in

Skamania County Skamania County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,036. The county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson, although the Carson River Valley CDP is more populous. The ...

along

Washington State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels east-west on the north side of the Columbia River, opposite Interstate 84 (I-84) to the south in Oregon. SR 14 forms a section of ...

, about east of Stevenson and east of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. From its base at , it climbs steeply to an elevation of . The mountain is the site of a popular hiking trail that begins on the north side of Route 14 at

milepost A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

53. The trail winds through heavy forest to meadows and the site of a former fire lookout. After climbing steeply for about the first half mile (0.8 km), the trail splits into two forks that meet again at the summit. The lookout was built in 1931 and reconstructed in 1952 to watch for fires across the river in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Mount Hood National Forest The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of fore ...

. Outmoded by surveillance from roads and airplanes, the fire lookout was dismantled in 1967. Attractions include views of the Columbia Gorge,

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...

Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the indigenous Cowlitz people, and Loowit or Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United St ...

, Wind Mountain and wildflowers, especially in May. Flowering plants along the trail include chocolate lily, woodland star, fairy slipper, hookspur violet, yellow fawn lily, balsamroot, and Columbia kittentails. Hazards include

poison oak Poison oak refers to two plant species in the genus ''Toxicodendron,'' both of which can cause skin irritation: *''Toxicodendron diversilobum'' or Western poison oak, found in western North America *''Toxicodendron pubescens ''Toxicodendron pub ...

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

s, and steep slopes. The trail's difficulty caused one writer to describe it as "a grueling hike", while another said that Dog Mountain might better be called "Dogged Mountain or possibly Doggone Mountain", and recommended good boots for descending its steep pitches. A fatality occurred on the mountain in 2003, when a hiker lost her footing and fell . The trail is open year-round to hikers and to dogs on leashes, although in winter the upper portions may be snow covered at times. It cannot be used by people on horses or mountain bikes, and it is not suitable for wheelchairs. The permits fees, of 1-2 dollars, are to start the spring of 2018 to hike the trail and parking at the bottom requires a Northwest Forest Pass. The permit fee is waived if you ride the shuttle bus. Passes are available from a wide variety of vendors in Oregon and Washington. ColumbiaRGorgePano

References

{{reflist Mountains of Washington (state) Landforms of Skamania County, Washington