- High overall level of difficulty, with a few ace runs and amateur tees to offset it as needed
- Free
- Relatively clean and well maintained for a free course
- Excellent use of elevation
- Some unique shots required (hole 2 and 18 in particular)

- A lot of unremarkable, repetitive holes
- Fairways were rather overgrown
- Signs were not particularly helpful
- Some tees were way too close to the previous pin.

My discing buddy and I had been meaning to make the trek up to Pinnacle for a while, trusting that the 4/5 rating was accurate and worth the trip. While the course has many positive features and was a good time to play, I simply can't justify rating it higher than I have with the faults it has. From the very beginning there is a sense of letdown stepping up to the rutted teepad and seeing the remarkably unremarkable hole 1. Many of the holes beyond that had some interesting spots, but for the most part the majority of the holes didn't leave much of an impression. All of the teepads had some degree of degradation, with the worst ruts being found on the longer holes where a big drive is necessary. In addition to the teepads themselves being a bit treacherous, their location in regards to the previous basket was an issue in a few cases. If the course was ever busy (no idea of the usual traffic but it was empty on a beautiful Sunday morning and afternoon), there were spots where getting hit with an approach shot would be a valid concern. Navigation was generally decent though there were a few spots where the aged wooden arrows blended into the trees they were nailed to. The tee signs were very basic but showed the general location of the pins and the distance properly.
Regardless of the design and amenity flaws, there was a lot of good at Pinnacle as well. The high degree of difficulty keeps the course interesting, and there are alternate tees on most holes to allow newer players a less frustrating experience. Based on the cleanliness of the course and the many signs requesting that players pick up after themselves, it's clear that there's at least a couple people that care for the course. There were a few bottles and cans here and there, but overall Pinnacle was quite tidy for a free course. The fairways however, were not tidy. While it must be said that it would take a veritable army of volunteers to maintain the wooded fairways, that fact doesn't stop the overgrowth from being a detractor to the course. There were several instances where one of us had to spend a lot of time looking for a disc that turned out to be hidden in the fairway. There were several very muddy spots that played host to thousands of mosquitos. Some effort had been put into irrigation and creating dry paths, but work is still needed.
The elevation in play is used to maximum effect on most holes. There are about an equal number of flat, uphill, and downhill shots, and the downhill shots, particularly hole 18, were a lot of fun. Most of the uphill shots were tight corners with tiny lanes, which made them a little awkward. Some holes felt forced, and given that there was a fairly long walk from 18's pin back to the parking lot, they didn't have to be. Overall, the par of 57 was tough but fair. I could see where some would feel #14 should have been a par 4, however there were shorter holes that were tougher, and if they were 3s, 14 should be as well.
Pinnacle is definitely a course worth playing, and if I lived within 30 minutes or so I'd likely play it once or twice a week. That being said, it's not a 4 and there are many courses in NH and ME that are rated lower that provide a much better disc golf experience. Worth the trip but not good enough to lure me back.