Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 1
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 1
The first hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course is a straightaway par 4 that trudges up the hill. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 1 green
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 1 green
Greens are large and rolling at Elk Ridge Golf Course in Carson, Washington. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 2
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 2
The par-4 second hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course plays 414 yards. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 2 green
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 2 green
The second green at Elk Ridge Golf Course is large and guarded by two bunkers. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 4
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 4
The par-5 fourth hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course plays gently downhill toward the gorge. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course
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Elk Ridge Golf Course
Elk Ridge Golf Course is located across the Columbia River in Skamania County. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 12
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 12
The 12th hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course is a downhill 363-yard par 4. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 8
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 8
The eighth and 10th holes at Elk Ridge Golf Course share a large double green. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 9
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 9
The par-5 ninth hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course finishes next to the clubhouse. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 11
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 11
About an hour from Portland, Elk Ridge sits high above the Columbia River Gorge. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 16
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 16
The 16th hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course is a downhill par 3. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge G.C.
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Elk Ridge G.C.
Elk Ridge Golf Club is located across the Columbia River. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 18
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Elk Ridge Golf Course - hole 18
The 18th hole at Elk Ridge Golf Course heads straight downhill. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Elk Ridge GC
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Elk Ridge GC
Elk Ridge Golf Course reopened in 2011 after staying closed for several years. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
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Elk Ridge Golf Course in Carson, Washington showcases the spectacular Columbia River Gorge

CARSON, Wash. -- An hour east of Portland in Skamania County is a golf facility that has quietly reopened to become one of the top area plays.

Elk Ridge Golf Course, formerly Carson Hot Springs Golf Course, is open after a multi-year closure that began in 2006 following foreclosure. Open since the end of 2011, it's one of the area's most picturesque golf courses, set on high ground along the Columbia River Gorge.

Design highlights include a large double green shared by the eighth and 10th holes. While most holes play parallel to the slope, making for slight uphill and downhill holes, nos. 9 and 18 both play sharply downhill toward the clubhouse. There are five sets of tees, stretching from 6,461 yards from the tips to 4,442 yards from the front.

The course, which opened in the 1980s, was renovated in 2006 but shuttered due to bankruptcy soon after. It sat vacant as a cow pasture until 2011. The course's setting on a sloping mountainside made up of steep rock makes it one of the Valley's driest, and conditions are lauded as some of the best in the area as a result.

This area is known for its natural beauty, as well as its mineral hot springs water. Carson Valley Hot Springs Resort and Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa are two area hotels that make for pleasant stay-and-play options near the golf course.

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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Elk Ridge Golf Course in Carson, Washington showcases the spectacular Columbia River Gorge