Loon Lake to Buck Island Lake is a 12.1 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Twin Bridges, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
Note: As of October 2020, the campgrounds are closed for the season. Due to this closure, hikers will have to hike an extra mile to and from the car to the trailhead. More information here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/eldorado/recarea/?recid=71069 A beautiful, moderately challenging hike along Loon Lake to Buck Island Lake. This is a great day hike that does not have any steep climbs, making it perfect for hikers of all fitness levels. The views of Loon Lake are incredible!
January 15, 2021October 17, 2020Incredible views! Not too steep of ups and downs, fairly manageable grades. Currently (10/17/20) the campground is closed, so it was an extra mile walk to and from the car to the trailhead. Very few others were out. We lost the trail a bit going down to Buck Island Lake because of the rock surface, but were able to find it using the app. Coming back up, I was able to follow the rock stacks better! Overall very beautiful! A lot of different foliage and the lakes are so pretty!
September 7, 2020September 6, 2020September 4, 2020August 23, 2020Spent a couple nights at Spider Lake and took a day hike to Bucks Island. The trail down to the lake was very hard to follow, no shade on the trail or along the water. Great views of the mountain range and fun to watch the Jeeps crawl. Good luck getting back to the main trail afterwards, it sure ain’t easy. Didn’t have the magic we hoped. Meh.
August 8, 2020August 7, 2020Wonderful trail!
August 3, 2020Overall wonderful trail! Mostly exposed which makes the trail quite hot. Approaching Buck Island Lake just follow the cairns, they will show you the way. As mentioned, there were OHV parties on the lake, but they were respectfully quiet from 11p-8:30a which was great (yes they were loud from 9-11p but didn’t really bother us too much). Bugs were about a 3 out of 10, present but totally manageable. We had bug spray but only used it once. Trailhead is out of the Loon Lake campground wilderness parking lot ($8 fee to be paid at the entrance where day use fees are paid)
August 1, 2020August 1, 2020All around this is great for backpacking or hiking which takes you Buck Island Lake. However there are plenty of pros and cons to this trek outlined below. Starting out, you can park just outside the park and avoid the $8 fee. The Loom Trail head seemed non-existent, but is probably under construction. There were several new signs that mentioned the Loom TR, so I suspect it will be open sometime in the near future. Instead we started from Wilderness Area trail head, which is at the end of the Wilderness Area parking lot. When we started our hike, we didn't realize you really couldn't access water easily until your final destination at Buck Island Lake. Therefore, be sure to bring at least 1.5 liters or so. I brought 2 liters and I was beginning to run dry by the time we arrived, though I drink a lot of water. The mosquitoes weren't too bad, though present so repellent would be useful. The trail itself is groomed well with constructed stone steps and plenty of cairns to show you the way..a couple of them are the biggest I have ever seen. About 5 miles in, the trail is currently under construction, so you will arrive at a detailed map that outlines a detour. Its easy to follow so again, just follow the cairns and large rocks to guide you. Once Buck Island Lake is visible, you will eventually have to veer off the trail and continue down to what looks like an old creek bed which is marked by cairns off the main trail. Buck Is. Lake is visible at this point, so just follow your instincts. Overall, the trail isn't dusty but it is very rocky and only about 20% of the trail is in shade, so bring sunblock. These lakes are mostly surrounded by boulders, so you don't have to worry too much about muddy feet when accessing pumping water. Once you pass Loom Lake, 4 miles in or so, you will no longer be bothered by speedboats and party-goers on the Lake, though another nuisance is on the horizon. Once you arrive at Buck Island Lake, you will hear revving motors and possibly blaring country music as we did. However, they are across the lake and they seemed to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Also, on the way back, there is about 1.2 miles of uphill, which can be a bit exhausting. Pros: The trail is generally clearly marked with amazing views throughout the hike. The trail isn't crowded, even on the weekend. The lake isn't muddy and great for fishing. Mosquitoes aren't a big problem (bring some repellent). It is easy to find a Park Ranger at the campsites adjacent to trail head to address and questions. Cons: No water access for 6+miles. There are a lot of folks with motors (Boats on Loon Lake and 4-wheelers on the Rubicon Tr. across the lake). Not a whole lot of great campsites for backpackers. Only about 20% shade on the trail.
July 31, 2020Although I was unable to record my trip due to my AllTrails app acting up, I covered 13-14 miles (in & out) easily enough. I jumped around Buck lake and made my way over to watch the rock-crawlers on the Rubicon. I just couldn’t resist. It’s very easy to get off trail on your way to Buck (last mile) as trail is identifiable only by cairns and an occasional strip of dirt. Keep you app handy enough. You’ll be fine. Loved the trail.
July 24, 2020We camped at Pleasant and day hiked to Rockabound- quiter than Buck. Group of 11 including 7 teenagers.
July 22, 2020Great trail, in great shape. Beautiful scenery. We camped at Buck island lake and my only suggestion would be if you camp there, camp on the south side of the lake away from the rubicon trail. The 4x4’s can make quite a bit of noise. Still beautiful.
July 3, 2020This hike is amazing. Went for 4th of July and it’s just far enough out to get away from it all. Spectacular views, plenty of camping spots (where you won’t see your neighbors) and lots of swimming holes. Mosquitos were only a problem at sunset.
June 28, 20205 lakes for your picking! Beautiful views of Loon, Buck Island, Rockbound and Rubicon - spider lake is a little more hidden. One moderately challenging incline past Loon which is made tricky by the rocky trail. Worth it! Will be back for sure.
June 20, 2020Beautiful Views, Great trail conditions...
June 13, 2020June 4, 2020Beautiful hike! Easy trail with beautiful views.
May 26, 2020Beautiful, relatively easy hike. Melting snow and small creek crossings along the way. We set up near the lake and fell asleep to loud Jeep noises across the shore. Not sure if this is normal since we went on Memorial Day weekend, but probably wouldn’t recommend the trail to friends unless they were also planning on making a bunch of noise.
September 2, 2019Great hike, fast and flat.
August 30, 2019Excellent hike I caution you over these busy holiday weekend to stay away.. all in all the fun hike.
August 11, 2019beautiful trail. loved the whole thing. dont forget to bring $8 for parking
August 9, 2019Beautiful 2night backpacking trip with a little bit of everything. Fern-filled woods, lake views, giant boulders, mountain views. Trail had sections of soft dirt, hard dirt, rocks (similar to dry creek bed) and a little bit of granite like walkways. Be careful the last 3/4 mile before you arrive at Buck Island Lake. The trail is being reconstructed so you have to look for man-made steps, rock formations and rock pyramid type piles to move you along the way. There were off road vehicles across the lake but they were not very loud and did not ruin our Fri&Sat night stay. I would definitely do this hike again.
June 22, 2019Great trail condition. No snow on route. Beautiful Scenery. Pretty loud with OHV folks on the east side of Buck Island Lake. Loud cars, music, and firing guns. Not exactly what you look for when hiking into the backcountry. Other than that, it’s beautiful. Probably wouldn’t do this trip as an overnight during a weekend again.
June 20, 2019
