Loon Lake Recreation Site

Overview

The Bureau of Land Management's Loon Lake Recreation Site is located in the heart of Oregon's Coast Range at an elevation of 392 feet, just 20 miles east-southeast of Reedsport, Oregon. Loon Lake Recreation Site is one of the Coast Range's few recreation areas with a warm, sandy beach. The lake is perfect for swimming, fishing, boating, and other water activities. The site offers a campground and day use area, though visitors should note that there is no cell phone coverage in the area. Loon Lake Recreation Site's operating season is from Memorial Day weekend to September 30th. The Coos Bay District Office in North Bend, OR manages Loon Lake Recreation Site.

Please visit the BLM Loon Lake Recreation Site website for more information.

Recreation

Loon Lake is a family-oriented recreation site, treasured by locals for generations. The site offers a myriad of recreational opportunities, including camping, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, swimming, and waterplay. Visitors can also enjoy relaxing on the warm, sandy beach. Other popular activities at Loon Lake include picnicking, hiking, birding, horseshoe tossing, and barbecuing.

Campsites have paved parking pads and ample shade from old growth trees. The day use area boasts picnic tables, barbecue grills, swim area, fishing dock, and boat launch. A short, 1/4 mile trail to a waterfall on Elliott State Forest land begins at the south end of the day use area and takes hikers through a quiet and serene segment of old growth forest.

Facilities

Loon Lake offers 53 campsites that accommodate tents, trucks, trailers, and/or RVs. All campsites contain a fire ring and picnic table. Most sites have a barbecue grill and/or tent pad. Double sites have two picnic tables and larger, or multiple, tent pads. In addition, the site contains flush toilet facilities, vault toilets, children's play area, day use picnic tables and barbecue grills, amphitheater, boat launch, and fishing dock.

Natural Features

Loon Lake Recreation Site is situated in the Coast Mountain Range in southwestern Oregon. Douglas-fir, western hemlock, red alder, and bigleaf maple trees forest this beautiful site and offer an abundance of shade. The forest understory features a host of native plants including rhododendron, salal, salmon berry, thimble berry, vine maple, trailing blackberry, and several fern species. A diverse variety of bird life, from the seldom seen Marbled Murrelet and Spotted Owl, to the ever-present Steller's Jay and Osprey, frequent this area. Signs of larger animals, such as raccoon, bear, elk, deer, and bobcat are evident.

Loon Lake is part of the Umpqua River watershed that drains water from the Coast Range to the Pacific Ocean. Formed by a landslide of large sandstone blocks and boulders, Loon Lake is a naturally dammed lake that covers 260 acres, is 2 miles long, and 190' deep.

Contact Info

This location has limited staffing. Please call (541) 756-0100 for general information.

Nearby Attractions

The Oregon Coast Range offers a myriad of exciting recreational activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving, tidepooling, expansive beaches, and wildlife viewing. BLM's Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, also managed by the Coos Bay District Office, is a short drive from Loon Lake and offers visitors the chance to see one of Oregon's largest mammal, Roosevelt Elk, up close.

Loon Lake is less than an hour from charming Winchester Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The town of Reedsport is just 20 miles away and lies near the confluence of three rivers, including the scenic Umpqua and Smith rivers. Reedsport is the gateway town to the vast Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where visitors enjoy hiking, paddling, wildlife viewing, camping, picnicking, sand play, beach access, and OHV riding.