Anybody who's tried to park at Dog Mountain in late spring knows that "chaos" might be an understatement.

The scenic hike on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge reaches peak popularity in April, May and June, when cars overwhelm the parking lot and spill over into Highway 14 - a problem that county and federal officials will once again try to mitigate with a shuttle bus.

The Gorge West End Transit (WET) bus will run Saturdays and Sundays from April 15 to June 18, taking hikers from the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson to the Dog Mountain trailhead 10 miles away. The first of 13 runs leaves Stevenson at 8:30 a.m. with the last one leaving the trailhead at 4:30 p.m. Fare is $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids ages 12-17.

The shuttle isn't the only strategy in place to ease the overcrowding. In 2016, officials finally lined the parking lot in hopes of eliminating the double and triple-parking that had become common, though it limited the number of cars that can park at the trailhead to about 75. Before the redesign, it was common to see 200 cars crammed into the small area.

"What we want to do is try to keep the parking organized, to keep it safe, to keep the flow of traffic moving safely," said Stan Hinatsu, recreation staff officer for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, said at the time.

When the lot overflows, people tend to park along the side of the highway, a dangerous practice on a road already prone to deadly accidents. Skamania County officials said last year that the shuttle would hopefully keep people safe by offering an alternate way to get to the trail.

It's not clear what kind of effect it's actually had so far - the project manager for the shuttle service did not respond to calls for comment - but it's clearly still considered the best option available.

Hikers can still park at the Dog Mountain trailhead if there's room, but expect to be redirected to the shuttle in Stevenson, where the wait is a little longer, but double parking is never an issue.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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