It's fun to play disc golf at a 'resort' even if it's not an intentional disc golf resort. In fact you feel like the barbarian invader sometimes with your bag of dangerous flying ranged weapons, while all around you are people attending weddings, tourists in ridiculous shoes, eco hippie hikers, etc. Even on the lower course the VIEWS are amazing. Depending on the season, there can be fields of wildflowers, wild strawberries and blueberries that you can literally graze on while (often) looking for your disc, deer and elk sharing the fairway with you. And even on the lower course the play is all about elevation and dealing with it. So a great counterpoint to the usual flat suburban course. Good distances, a few ace chances for long throwers on downhills (but woe to you if you overshoot!) Also, the Elk Cellar at the end of the round is probably the foremost 19th hole in WA. Be sure to stop in, get a cold one from the taps, and say thank you to the designer of the course, who is one of the managers at the Elk/Alpine Inn.

Pretty flimsy temp baskets, which sometimes are pretty off-level too. Ankle-twister surface in some areas, due to molehills, elk, watercourses, roads. Potential for dinging a disc when it lands on the hard roads between holes, esp. near construction areas. Reroute has lessened a bit, but still lots of areas where ANY disk off fairway is gone gone gone due to the incredibly dense nature of some of the offending underbrush. Especially if the wind is blowing. Throw your THIRD favorite disc ...

I checked in at the Elk after the round, to get a nice cold beer of course but also to learn more about the current course reroute. The construction happening on the 'Quicksilver' lift motivated not one but two reroutes over the summer. Course no longer goes anywhere near 'Tinkerbell' and no longer climbs the Goat Trail. Which is just fine by me (did not like the Goat Trail!) Instead it crams 3-6 into each other a bit as up/down alternators, and then heads up Broadway against the traffic of the unified course's 11-18. This area is pretty wide but it does introduce some potential of groups playing opposite ways having to watch out for each other.

This was a very fun, really beautiful course. It was definitley a nice hike around there, it was a lot of fun.

You definitely need to watch your discs on some of the holes, I lost 2 in that one day. It is definitely not a beginner friendly course

Crystal Mountain is a beautiful seasonal course located at the base of a ski resort, surrounded by plush green Pines and granite faces. The front nine begins at the base of the mountain and winds up the tough terrain through the narrow yet infamous "old goat trail", then spits you out at the top as you make your way back down through some of the longest, steepest, and most epic hills I have ever played on. The elevation changes and strong gusts of wind make for some incredibly long and glorious shots. The front nine holes are considered easier however, it is still easy to shoot bogie golf on any if not all of them. Like the reviewer ahead of me stated, I would consider this course the second hardest in the state next to SeaTac. Hole #18 may be their signature hole but there are several others that stand out, especially on the back nine.

For the most part, this course was very well taken care of. However, there were a few things that kept this course from being a five. First, the tee pads were dirt not grass and were very short. Even though many of the shots were down hill, it was the up hill shots that desperrately needed more space for those big drives. Second, restrooms are located at the bottom of the hill with no other place to make a pit stop. For the most part this isn't a big deal unless it's a must....then your in trouble. You must use the restroom either before you start or after you finish cause nobody would want to walk down and then back up Crystal Mountain, trust me. Last, the weather. Although for me I thought it made the course harder, I enjoyed the crazy winds. However, most do not like it and find it a burden considering you are driving 600+ feet downhill and the last thing you need is to lose a disc and then spend hours looking for it. I would recommend a spotter on about half the course, especially hole #6 and the whole back nine.

I recently just played in the Crystal Mountain DG Tournament and had the time of my life. Not only was the weather perfect (windy but sunny), but the tourny director Dee (who is also the manager on the mountain) did a wonderful job making sure everyone was taken care of, including great player packs. The Snorting Elk did a nice job taking care of the players, with great food and even better drinks.
Note: Food is a little expensive so if your on a budget I would bring food. Camping was free as well in Lot B below lot A.