Permits on sale now for Dog Mountain wildflower hike, Lava River Cave near Bend

Zach Urness, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read

Permits for two of the Northwest’s most iconic places, Dog Mountain and Lava River Cave, are now on sale.

Dog Mountain

Known for its carpets of yellow balsamroot and purple lupine, Dog Mountain is the most famous wildflower hike in the Columbia River Gorge. It’s located on the Washington side outside Stevenson.

A parking permit is required each weekend until June 16, and they can be reserved at Recreation.gov. The cost is a $2 processing fee, while there is also a $5 parking fee.

No permit or payment is required for those taking the Dog Mountain Shuttle from the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson.

Timed reservation fees on sale for Lava River Cave

Looking out from the inside of the Lava River Cave south of Bend.
Looking out from the inside of the Lava River Cave south of Bend.

Timed entry permits are now on sale for Lava River Cave, a subterranean hike into a mile-long lava tube outside of Bend. The hike opens for the season on Friday.

For the permits, 50% are available in a rolling seven-day booking window, while the other 50% can open in a 24-hour booking window. Permits cost a $2 processing fee and can be obtained at Recreation.gov.

Timed reservations are for a two-hour entry block each day Lava River Cave is open. Every day there will be six daily entry blocks with a new entry block opening every hour, on the hour. A timed reservation covers everyone in a vehicle. There is no per-person charge. A parking fee of $5 or a federal recreation pass is also required per vehicle. Bikers or hikers do not need a permit.

Reservations also can be made by calling Recreation.gov at 1-877-444-6777. The Recreation.gov call center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. People can either print the timed reservation ticket or download it to their mobile device to show to the attendant at the site.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Permits on sale for Dog Mountain wildflower hike, Lava River Cave