Duck Lake Trail to Loon Lake

Route Description for Duck Lake Trail to Loon Lake

Explore the great outdoors and reconnect with nature on the Duck Lake Trail to Loon Lake. While challenging, the payoff at the trail’s end is worth the sweat. Wander through dense woodlands, montane meadows, and marshlands to the B23 Crash Site that remains along the shoreline of Loon Lake. While doable, this trek demands a day-long commitment, so make sure you head out in the early morning to return to the trailhead before nightfall. As with all hikes in the area, wildlife encounters in the area are possible. Consider bringing a can of bear spray and maintain distance is you do have a run-in.

Setting out from the trailhead, the Duck Lake Trail to Loon Lake follows the Twenty Mile Trail, heading north over Lick Creek to an intersection. Keep left here, and you will reach the shoreline of Duck Lake. Admire the charm of the quaint lake, then merge onto the Duck Lake Trail at the following junction. At this point, you will steeply climb up to a ridge that boasts wonderful views of Lick Creek Mountain. Now plunging into a canyon bound by the Loon Mountains and Victor Peak, the terrain will plateau as you meander along Loon Creek.

Hike this route all the way to Loon Lake and over to the B23 Crash Site. Read the plaques that detail the history of the wreckage, then head back along the path back to the trailhead.