Tees are distinct and visible
Plays fast
Variety of short holes and long holes
Requires player to be precise with their throws

Not well maintained
Not free
Fairways aren't cleared out well.
Not sure how you would find your way if you didn't have someone who had already played it before.

This is a fun course. But it needs some work and TLC. If you are in the area it is definitely worth playing, however it's not worth taking a trip to just play this course.

Course has 9 holes with rubber tees and new Discatchers. I found alternate natural tees for holes 5-8, which provided a completely different angle to the basket. (Not sure if there are 9 alt. tees. They are harder to find and I only started to look for them once I stumbled across #5's.) The kiosk has a full color course map which you can print from this site. Each hole had a rock with hole # and basic hole shape drawn on it- not detailed, but it does emphasize the rocky terrain here. Navigation was easy and natural as the paths were worn in and lined with logs.

The variety here is pretty good for a 9-hole course. It is mostly in the woods, but there are varying degrees of tree density, and 1 tee shot out in the open. Elevation is not drastic, but there is enough to be a factor on a few holes. It requires straight, left, and right shaped shots off the tee and on approaches. There is a diverse variety of hole length as well ranging from 172' - 523'.

My favorite thing about this 9-hole course is that it plays through an isolated scenic section of rocky woods, what you would expect in the beautiful WV mountains- the kind of land you often find hiking trails (of which there are some here as well), so be sure to wear solid footwear. The drive up to the course was spectacular. This course is also not too far from Virginia Tech.

The biggest negative were the rubber tee pads that were very slick, and with a little rain and autumn leaves on them, they were almost impossible to throw from. The rocks with hole # are cool, but I prefer actual tee signs. Again, I was unaware of the alt. tees until #5 as they are unmarked and are more difficult to find- good for locals I guess, but not for visitors. Also be advised that discs are sometimes hard to find as they have lots of places to hide between the rocks and under the ferns and leaves that are everywhere.

The natural mountain lake is pretty cool, but it is not in play on the course, and, you don't even get any good views of it from the course.

It is $3/day to park, hike, disc golf, etc. which is a little much if all you are going to do is play 9 holes.
It is too bad that there aren't 9 more holes of this caliber to make this a full 18-holer. (The other 9-hole course on site is just a beginner pitch and putt course.) Concrete tees and more permanent and obvious alternate tees would be a substantial bonus.

For me, this course was actually more challenging than it looked, I would enjoy playing here several times to try to improve my score. It is one of the better 9-hole courses you will find and worth a play if you are passing nearby. And it has the potential to be a fantastic course with some basic improvements.

To get to the parking area, pass all the buildings, pass the lake, and you will see an unmarked gravel lot on the right. This lot is for hikers and disc golfers.

Bonus (maybe?)- The movie Dirty Dancing was filmed at the lake and resort here. For all you fans out there (because I know so many of them will stumble upon this review), you can take a self-guided tour of the scene locations and the gift-shop has all the DD merchandise you could ever hope for! I was unaware of the "historical significance" of this place until we went in the hotel to use the restrooms and we saw all the memorabilia.

Landscape and setting

The disc golf course at Mountain Lake Conservancy is true mountaintop disc golf. To get there you go up, up, up; turn off the main highway and go up a gorgeous and winding mountain road for seven miles. Get to the beautiful Mountain Lake hotel, turn and leave the paved road and go up some more, until at a small gravel parking lot where some access roads and hiking trails all come together you find a sign for the disc golf course, well over 4,000 feet above sea level. So in terms of setting the mood, this course is great. Then in terms of setting itself, the course also stands apart compared to its Virginia peers. This is a rocky, undulating course playing through groves of large hardwoods and towering evergreens. Plus, considering how far off the beaten path it is, you'll probably have the course to yourself, so the serenity factor is as high as it gets. Taking it shot by shot though, it's still a nine hole course, only slightly longer than average, with sometimes challenging teepads, not a ton of variety from hole to hole, and, despite its idyllic location, no real views on the course itself.

Mountain Lake is a woods course, but the fairways are all completely reasonable. There is some call for your driver, with three par 4 holes, provided you can control that driver. Like many woods courses, Mountain Lake punishes mistakes, but rewards on target drives with a good look at par or birdie. As the course is truly set on the mountaintop itself, there are no big downhill chucks or uphill drives, but every hole features some bit of up and down. Most holes are straight or a long fade; there's no doglegs or hard curves to negotiate here. The rocky terrain and fallen trees do provide obstacles you may not find at many other courses, however. The course does feature a few truly memorable shots, down a slope into a grove of beautiful evergreens for instance.

While there is a great map on a signboard at the parking lot, the tees themselves only have rocks painted with the basket number and an arrow indicating the general direction. Thanks to yellow paint on the basket indicating the direction to the next tee, though, and obvious paths through the forest, finding your way around shouldn't be a problem. One potential negative is the teepads. The terrain is rough, and the rubber pads go a long ways toward smoothing out an area to throw from. But they're slick when wet or covered with leaves, slick enough to really affect your steps. Overall, the Mountain Lake Conservancy is a fantastic place to visit, and the course itself is worthy outing if you're in the area.