Boasting a 10+ mile hike, spectacular scenery, the quaint mountain lake is punctuated with a long abandoned ghost plane stashed at the leeward shore. Its got all the makings for a winning trip. Courtesy of visitidaho.org

The hike to Loon Lake begins at a trailhead outside Chinook Campground, which is 37 miles northeast of McCall. There are two well-maintained routes to the lake, which provides the opportunity to hike a loop instead of an out and back. The forested west side is 4.6 miles to the lake with 540 feet of elevation gain. The canyon trail on the east side is 5.7 miles with about 450 feet of elevation gain.Courtesy of idahostatesman.com

The shortest route [to the bomber] is to wade across Loon Creek on the north shore (we carried water shoes for that purpose) and bushwhack about 0.8 miles along the shore to the bomber. But the fallen trees, boulders and soggy ground were such a bear that one member of our party opted to walk in the lake. My 10-year-old son was sinking to his waist, so that didn’t work for us. We battled the rocks and logs and — eventually — won. It took nearly an hour, partly because we were so unsure of where we were going. It was Oliver’s favorite part of the hike; it was my least favorite.

The other option is to take the Duck Lake trail along the western shore and bushwhack about 0.4 miles from there to the bomber. But that route is longer overall — 1.4 miles from the Duck Lake junction to the bomber. Plus, the trail was littered with fallen trees (I got my worst cut of the day there) and there’s no sign telling you where to leave the trail and go cross country. If you take this route — we used it on the way out — you’ll cross the creek on the south end of the lake. You can test your balance on some well-placed logs, or wade.

Courtesy of eastidahonews.com