Columbia River Gorge Releases Weekend Permits for Popular Dog Mountain Trail

Dog Mountain Trail System vehicle reservation permits go live on recreation.gov this Sunday, March 15, at 7 a.m. PDT. The U.S. Forest Service Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area announced the release covers the spring permit window running weekends from Saturday, April 11 through Sunday, June 7, 2026, plus Memorial Day on Monday, May 25.

The $2 per-vehicle reservation is nonrefundable and valid only for the date reserved. It does not guarantee a parking space at the Dog Mountain Trailhead, where the lot holds roughly 70 vehicles and fills early on weekends. Drivers must also pay a $5 day-use fee at the trailhead, though that charge is waived with a Northwest Forest Pass or interagency senior, military, or Every Kid Outdoors pass. Washington and Oregon state passes are not accepted. Not all permits for each weekend day drop at once: a portion of each day's allotment will be held back and released online four days in advance of the reservation date, also at 7 a.m. PDT.

The permit system has been in place since 2018, when the Forest Service put it in place to address a specific and dangerous pattern: the trailhead lot would reach capacity early, and hikers were parking along Washington State Route 14 and walking to the trail. SR-14's high-speed traffic, narrow shoulders, and limited sight distances made that genuinely hazardous. The Forest Service notes that parking on SR-14 can result in fines and towing, and that walking along the adjacent railroad tracks is both illegal and dangerous.

If the permit pool is sold out, there's a legitimate car-free path in. Columbia Area Transit (CAT) runs a shuttle from the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson, WA to the Dog Mountain Trailhead every 30 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on permitted weekends. Shuttle riders receive a free daily permit, so no vehicle reservation purchase is needed. Seats are first-come, first-served. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are allowed on the shuttle.

The draw for all this planning is real: Dog Mountain's 6.9-mile loop climbs 2,820 feet to a 2,948-foot summit where the meadows go full balsamroot yellow from mid-April through mid-June. The loop is rated strenuous and is not listed as family friendly, but the spring wildflower bloom is why it consistently ranks among the most popular hikes in the Pacific Northwest. Forest Service employees check hikers for permits at the trailhead, so carry a printed or digital copy.

Permits are not required after June 8, 2026, and the window won't reopen until mid-April 2027. If you're targeting peak bloom, set a reminder for Sunday morning.