A Rugged Day Out at Loon Lake and the B-23 Bomber Wreck

Loon Lake begins as a quiet patch of water in the Payette National Forest, edged in places by grass and marsh rather than a wide recreational shoreline. The trailhead is about an hour outside McCall, but the setting quickly trades everyday road travel for wooded country, mountain views and a route with enough roughness to occupy a serious day outdoors.

The Loon Lake Loop is not one of those broad, smooth paths where the only decision is how far to stroll. It can be a loop, an out-and-back, or a longer excursion that adds the site of a B-23 bomber crash from January 29, 1943. That mix gives the outing an unusual shape: lake country and river scenery, followed by a historical destination reached through genuine backcountry terrain.

The Loon Lake Loop Trailhead has maps, vault toilets and picnic tables, a welcome bit of order before the trail begins narrowing and the route becomes more variable. There is also access to the creek below the trailhead.

Parking is free. Space can be adequate, though the area can be busy and parking is not always effortless to find. The approach road itself can be narrow, so it is a place to take slowly rather than treat as a quick run-in from the highway.

The picnic tables are particularly handy at the end of the day. After several hours on uneven ground, a simple sandwich beside the trailhead can be a better reward than anything elaborate.

The route moves through a wooded mountain landscape, with Loon Lake providing the open-water break in an otherwise forested outing. Some sections climb, and the trail is narrow in multiple places. It has been described as moderate to hard, with the actual commitment changing considerably according to route, conditions and how much exploring is included.

Underfoot, expect the useful vocabulary of a real backcountry hike: roots, rocks, mud and uneven stretches. Fallen trees appear in areas affected by a forest fire, and there can be places where the tread is faint enough to require careful attention rather than automatic forward motion.

In its rougher stretches, the route may involve negotiating downed timber or moving through growth where there is no crisp, clearly defined trail. The maintained start should not be mistaken for a promise that every mile will be equally polished.

Loon Lake is a scenic stop, but it is not framed by a long, easy-access beach. There is only a very small beach area, while other sections of shore meet grass or marsh. The water is a destination to look at and pause beside, not necessarily a place where every point along the circuit provides simple access.

Conditions around the lake can change the character of the route. Deep water may affect the east side in June, adding another reason to treat the loop as terrain that deserves flexibility rather than a fixed, one-size-fits-all plan.

The west side offers the more direct approach toward the aircraft wreckage. For hikers making the bomber the central goal, that direction has been favored over continuing around the south and east sides.

The B-23 wreckage is the detail that turns this from a handsome lake hike into something much more singular. A B-23 bomber crashed near Loon Lake on January 29, 1943, and the remaining wreckage gives the forest a tangible connection to a moment far outside the usual rhythm of hiking trails.

Reaching it requires leaving the main lake circuit. This is not an easy detour along a smooth lakeside path: the approach can include crossing a creek and working around fallen trees, with rough or indistinct trail in places.

One crossing has been made by balancing across a log. Waterproof footwear or spare socks can be useful for this country, where mud and wet sections belong to the outing as much as the lake views do.

The wreckage is best approached with patience and an eye on the route. It is an arresting destination precisely because it remains embedded in the forest rather than presented as a roadside historical display.

The Secesh River supplies one of the prettiest stretches of the return. After the lake, marshy ground and the rougher work involved in reaching the wreckage, the river section gives the outing another distinct landscape instead of simply retracing the same forest corridor.

That variety is a strong reason to choose a loop when conditions and route-finding comfort allow. The day can unfold in chapters: trailhead creek, timbered trail, lake edge, the bomber side trip and then the Secesh River on the way back.

It also explains why timing varies so widely. Some versions of the outing take a few hours, while more ambitious loop-and-wreckage itineraries can become a full-day trek. This is a route to measure by terrain and daylight, not by a rushed checklist.

Hikers and walkers use the area, but mountain bikes, e-bikes and dirt bikes are also part of the traffic around Loon Lake. That makes the trailhead a useful launch point for different kinds of forest outings, from a hike with a historical objective to a ride followed by lunch at the picnic tables.

For hikers, preparation matters more here than a desire for a casual lake walk. Creek crossings, mud, roots, rocks, fallen trees and narrow tread all ask for steady footing and a willingness to slow down where the trail gets complicated.

Later-summer conditions may make the approach to the bomber easier than the wetter period around June. Even then, the appeal remains the same: a long, changeable day in the Payette backcountry, with a lake, a river and a piece of wartime history waiting beyond the main path.