The Simplot course at Bogus Basin is mountain disc golf in the truest sense, an 18-hole layout spread across a ski hill 16 road miles north-northeast of Boise, high in the Boise National Forest. Getting there means climbing the famous switchbacks of Bogus Basin Road up out of the valley heat, which is half the appeal: while Boise bakes in July, you're throwing discs in cool mountain air with the whole Treasure Valley spread out below.

Elevation is the defining feature of the course, and it's used well throughout. Shots run from steep uphill to steep downhill and everything in between, which rewards players who can read a slope and punishes anyone expecting a flat park round. Discs fly differently up here in the thinner air and on the pitched fairways, and that unfamiliarity is exactly what makes a mountain course fun. The layout is thoughtfully finished, with rubber tee pads on many holes and "Next Tee" signs beside each basket, so navigation across a big mountain property never becomes a guessing game.

The course starts near the Simplot Lodge, with the first hole on the east side of the building, and it was established around 2014. Bogus Basin is a non-profit community mountain recreation area rather than a corporate resort, which shapes its whole character: it exists to get Boise outdoors, and its summer offerings are part of that mission.

Summer and early fall are the season here, since this is a ski hill first and the course lives under snow for a good part of the year. Checking Bogus Basin's operating calendar before making the drive up is worth the minute it takes, as summer hours and operations vary year to year.

At mountain elevation the sun is intense and the weather turns fast, with afternoon thunderstorms common in summer, and the 16-mile road up is a genuinely winding mountain drive. There's little shade on the open ski runs, and the altitude will find anyone who came up from the valley without water.

Come with more water than a park round needs, sun protection, sturdy shoes for walking pitched ski terrain, a layer for the cooler air up top, and a couple of spare discs, since a lost throw on a ski slope can travel a very long way. For a round with 2,000 feet of elevation between you and Boise and views across the whole valley, the Simplot course is a genuinely special place to throw.