Dog Lake Trail Hiker Reviews

We combined Dog Lake and Lembert Dome (in that order) into a single hike, starting and ending at the Dog Lake parking lot. The first section of this trail is moderately strenuous, but levels out past the spur to Lembert Dome.

Don’t be fooled by the small body of water you’ll pass along the trail – it isn’t Dog Lake. We dubbed it “Puppy Pond,” and it’s a nice spot to take a short rest break before heading on to the REAL Dog Lake. The numerous trail junctions are all clearly marked in both directions, so there’s little chance of taking a wrong turn along the trail.

Once we reached Dog Lake, we continued on the trail along the lake’s southern shore ‘til we reached a point where the bugs were getting really bad, then turned around and headed back to the main trail. We then headed back along the main trail, took the spur trail to Lembert Dome and back, then back down the rather steep and rocky section to the parking lot at the trailhead.

Although we didn’t regret doing this hike (and had to get to Lembert Dome one way or another), the payoff at Dog Lake itself wasn’t as spectacular as what we had come to expect. Wouldn’t say the trail was crowded, but we didn’t exactly have it to ourselves.

Glad we did it; not sure we’ll do it again next time.

The hike up was all uphill & I am out of shape, but I pressed on. It was well worth it. But, don't stop once you get there. There is a very easy trail around the entire lake - takes about 45 - 60 min. I didn't see anyone the whole time. The trail goes through a number of meadows but the trail is somewhat intuitive. If you go left when you meet the lake, the meadow can be a little wet or muddy for a very short distance - easily navigated. After that it's a no brainer. Lots of mosquitoes, so don't forget repellant.