Road trip: Crescent Bar

By Steve Turcotte, Inside Golf Editor

There is just something when you make the trip over Snoqualmie Pass and the skies lighten up and the stress start disappearing that you realize that Eastern Washington is just a different place. A place where the sun shines, the weather is warmer and there seems to be plenty to do.

I had never been to Crescent Bar before. I had heard there was a golf course and it was on the Columbia River but that was about it. After a summer trip to Crescent Bar, this is now a place that is on the vacation radar every year. No question about it.

This is a place that checks all the boxes from a pair of golf courses, to the warm weather, to the location on the Columbia River, to the boating, the jet skiing, the hiking and of course, the nightly adult beverages.

Since this is a golf publication, let’s start with the golf courses. I had heard there was a nine-hole course called Crescent Bar Golf Course. And sure enough, there it was with a nearly 3,000-yard layout stretching out and back along the Columbia River. The layout was challenging and the conditions were terrific.

But there was another course I had not heard of – Sunserra. A nine-hole course which sits above the Columbia River and offers terrific views from start to finish. But what made this executive-length course stand out was the conditions. The greens were like greens you would see on the PGA Tour. Combine that with the views – and you had a winner. The course plays to 1,250 yards and there are views around the course and one hole has a pond with two fountains.

Back in 2010, the local Public Utilities District said it would not renew the 50-year lease – meaning that hundreds of people who lived there would have to move, essentially creating a ghost town in Crescent Bar. But fortunately things worked out and the folks were able to stay and Crescent Bar has become a hub of activity on and off the water. New condominium complexes have been built and there are plans for even more to be constructed. This is a popular place – and seems to be growing by the year.

And why not? The Columbia River seems to be the biggest lure and for those with boats and jet skies there are plenty of places to travel. One of the most popular spots in a beach with sand dunes about a 15-minute boat ride from Crescent Bar. Boats park. Tents are set up. People picnic. It’s all good stuff.

Looking for a road trip? Check out Crescent Bar.