It is great that Idaho State Parks has installed DIsc Golf courses in many of its parks. This nine hole course is placed on a rough little plot of land adjacent to the day use area.

Hole 1 is a decent start, with an open drive to a basket tucked into a small group of trees.

Holes 2 and 3 are open drives to the baskets, while Hole 4 is blocked by trees right in front of the tee, with the basket placed up on a narrow, 10' hilltop. This is the only real elevation on the course.

Hole 5 is the best hole on the course, with the slightly elevated teepad driving to a basket tucked into a grove of trees. If you miss the correct tree gap short or long you'll be blocked on your second shot and looking at a 4.

Hole 6 requires an accurate drive through a small gap in the trees. The trees are deceptively thick with branches right down to the ground, so missing the gap results in a surprising tough second shot.

Hole 7 is a slight uphill drive to a basket guarded by trees, while Hole 8 is a wide open 345' drive to the basket.

The finishing hole has trees completely blocking the front of the tee, requiring either a big hyzer or a big anny to find the basket.

Simple markers on each tee pad give hole distance.

Navigation is straightforward, but finding the pad for Hole 6 requires crossing back to the area of the Hole 3 teepad.

The gravel teepads are not good. The gravel is loose and uneven, and getting kicked out around the wooden box. I had to level out the pad each time I got ready to drive.

I didn't have to deal with any of the thick vegetation mentioned in previous reviews. In fact, I played over a lot of bare dusty dirt, with the only cover being dried up thistles and nettles. Not a pleasant surface to play on.

I am not a fan of placing tee boxes directly behind trees as a way to shape fairways. Holes 4 and 9 are both closely blocked directly off of the tee, requiring a big blind hyzer or anny to find the basket.

They did what they could with this piece of land, but it really isn't a very interesting course.

After playing four outstanding courses at Farragut State Park, this course was something of a letdown. The land is flat and pretty barren, so didn't offer a lot of choices for holes.

Plenty of parking in the day use area adjacent to the course. Water and restrooms available there.

Hell's Gate State Park DGC is located at the far end of the state park out past the marina. The park and course both occupy the land next to the Snake River. The famous Snake River jet boats depart from Marina just upriver hereabouts. The park close by the course has restrooms and picnic facilities. The course area is disc golf exclusive so I doubt you'll be bothered by any other park users.

The course is recreational in difficulty and the terrain has a few small hills which are used effectively. Prevailing winds coming off the river can add to the challenge. There is a course sign at the beginning. The tee pads are boxed in gravel which are fairly level. I don't think this course gets a lot of use. The signs are simple ones stuck in the corner of the wood border giving the hole # and distance. The baskets are the DGA models with red numbers on top. And yes, the numbers are facing back towards the tees.

Distances seemed to range from the ACE run # 4's 158' up to # 5 which has you throwing off a small hill 400' back towards the river. # 4 was a nice little hole with a clever little tee pad placement. Most holes had some trees or slightly hidden basket placement to add to the degree of difficulty.

The biggest con for me and the other group playing this morning was this incredibly thick, low growing, green, fragrant vegetation that was prevalent over much of the course. It was so thick in places that finding your disc (no matter how brightly colored), even in the middle of the fairway, became an exercise in walking a grid pattern back and forth over an area. It became very tedious after a very short time. I lost a important disc and the other group lost a disc in this lettuce, like crap.

The gravel tee pads are not the best. They'll get worse with more play. And the wind was a big factor.

At least, whatever this green plant is called, it has a nice aroma! So while you're traipsing back and forth through it, and cursing to yourself, at least your nostrils will be filled with some sweet smells. But that sweet smell won't be enough to get me to return to Hell's Smells Disc Golf Course of swallowed discs!