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Hike to Loon Lake

McCall, Idaho

4.8/5
based on 4 reviews

Details

Distance

10 miles

Elevation Gain

3355 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Radley Peterson

You will Hike into a downed B-23 Dragon Bomber with 2 trails lead in from the campground. Dense new growth is coming in after a fire in 2007 wiped out large areas of the hike with a High mountain lake. One of the trails follows the Secesh River with Prime camping spots, one on the near side of the lake, the other on the far side near the bomber with really Good fishing.

This pretty simple hike is just outside of Burgdorf, though it is fun enough that my friends and I hike it every year. The trailhead starts out at Chinook Campground where there is free parking if you are making the hike; you can also camp there for a small fee. There are two trails you can take from the trailhead. They meet back up when you get to the lake so I recommend taking one in and the other out to get the most out of the hike.

Once you hit the lake there is a nice camp site to set up at if you are going to stay the night, though I recommend continuing on the trail to the far side of the lake where there is another, lesser used camp area. This spot also puts you near the bomber and in a better spot for fishing. When you are hiking the trail that takes you along the Secesh River be sure to keep your eyes open for the monster salmon that can usually be seen there.

There are occasionally black bear in the area so be careful with your food and bring mace along.

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Features

Chillin
Camping
Fishing
Backpacking
Hiking
Beach
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Groups
Lake
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Hike to Loon Lake Reviews

A group of 8 of us just hiked this loop a couple of days ago. We went down on the West side of the loop (right of the trailhead) and came back up along the Secesh River on the East side of the loop. The hike was fun, moderate, not hard at all but I was disappointed to see so many burned down trees. Although we still enjoyed the hike it would have been breathtaking before the fire destroyed most of the area in the late 2000s. The West side of the loop was very hot and dusty with little shade but the East side along the river was much nicer. We camped at a great beach spot in front of the lake the first night and hiked to see the 23 Bomber which was pretty neat. The hike to the Bomber was easy although we had to climb over burned down logs most of the way. There was also water crossing to it so bring water shoes or climb over a large log. It's easier to hike to the Bomber by taking a right from the campground in front of the lake since we heard the left side was very marshy and wet. The second day we found a hidden Hot Springs called Secesh hotsprings. It was quite a climb up the mountain along the spring but breathtaking once up above. We almost gave up trying to find it but we just kept going up almost to the top of the mountain... There were 2-3 decent size pools but pretty dirty although we cleaned one and enjoyed it. The second night we camped on an awesome beach spot with white sand by the Secesh River. This spot was to the right of the bridge off the Secesh R Trail towards Whangdoodle Trail. About a mile off that trail we crossed the river to find the hotsprings and the beach camp spot was about a half mile back from there. The hotsprings was before the Whangdoodle Trail. Overall we had a spectacular time although I wish I would have known about the burned down trees the entire hike...

Not too strenuous, appeal for kids, family, and history/WWII enthusiasts. Such a neat story about the bomber and crew. The lake is breathtaking. I've been three times and love each trip.

Great trip absolute must to do the loop to get the most out of the trip.

Fantastic loop for running, hiking or mountain biking. A little work to get there but totally worth it!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Soak in Burgdorf Hot Springs

Hike to Upper Hazard Lake via Hard Creek

Climbing at Thinking Spot

Mountain Bike the Huckleberry Bay Loop

Camp at Last Chance Campground

Soak at Gold Fork Hot Springs

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