Augspurger Mountain Hike

Overview

The hike to Augspurger Mountain takes you away from the stressful crowds of Dog Mountain (although including that popular destination is an option) and takes you to a higher point. If you want views, however, you'll need to continue a little way down beyond the summit of Augspurger Mountain to a ridge top meadow with vistas to the Washington stratovolcanoes to the north. Note that a sign at the trailhead indicates that it is 7.5 miles to the top of Augspurger Mountain. Several GPS measurements have it at just over 6 miles, however. WARNING: You'll be sharing the trailhead with the Dog Mountain crowds, so the parking area fills early. To avoid frustration, try to arrive before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. between March and October. A permit is required on weekends in April, May, and June to access Augspurger Mountain via any of the trails beginning at the Dog Mountain Trailhead. See permit information below. Starting at the Dog Mountain Trailhead, take the Augspurger Trail #4407 around the west flank of Dog Mountain. The trail ascends more gradually than other Dog Mountain trails and there are views of Wind Mountain and the Columbia Gorge. After 2.8 miles and 2200 feet of climbing, you'll reach a junction with the Dog-Augspurger Tie Trail, which will switchback up to the right. Keep left to stay on the Augspurger Trail and go downhill on a narrower path into a basin. After .6 miles, the trail climbs slightly and intersects with a forest road. Take a right and head uphill another .6 miles, continuing straight through a four-way junction under powerlines. When the road takes a hairpin left turn, look for a trail to your right with a sign that says "Augspurger Mt., 2.5 mi." Continue on the Augspurger Trail as it climbs and switchbacks through the woods for 1.1 miles until you pop out onto an open ridge. There are powerlines below the ridge and fantastic views west, down the Gorge, and south, across the Gorge, to Mount Defiance and Mount Hood. Continue along the ridge and follow the faint trail as it climbs through

Trail Stats

Photos

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