A young man does a somersault after jumping off a large rock at Loon Lake on June 30. World Photo by Chip Dombrowski

Insulated from ocean breezes, Loon Lake is a hot spot for all kinds of beach activities

By Chip Dombrowski, Entertainment Editor

LOON LAKE

‘Do a triple salchow!”

It's a Saturday at the beach at Loon Lake, and a crowd of Oregon State University students are gathered on the dock at the boat ramp, giving directions to one of their friends at the top of the large rock next to the ramp.

The jumper announces he's going to do a �” and then - splash!

I've made this jump myself a few times, but I never quite figured out how to land. After having bruises on the back of my legs for a month from hitting the water last time, I decided to skip jumping off the rock this time. Instead I consulted one of the students for advice.

“Keep your shoulders above your feet,” said Kyle Bullock, adding that it helps to know how to skateboard. “That's the trick.”

As the students prepared to climb again for another round of jumps, one of them noticed a ranger walking by - the park is run by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management - and the plans were quickly abandoned.

But there were plenty of other options. Among about 250 people on the beach, other groups of visitors were swimming, sunbathing, playing volleyball, playing horseshoes, building sandcastles, standing around a parked boat drinking and listening to music, reading and walking around. There also were a few boaters in the distance.

A bit later when the coast was clear, Bullock, 23, returned to make another jump. After swimming to the dock, he picked up his beer bottle, conveniently left waiting while he made the climb. He said he also likes to go wakeboarding, hike, swim, lay out in the sun and hit on women at the beach.

“That's mainly what it's about,” he said, adding that he comes every year around the Fourth of July with friends from school. “It's a pretty good crowd here. It's pretty secluded.”

Then he went to find a good tree to climb, noting they're much bigger here than in his native Buffalo, N.Y.

At the fishing dock on the other side of the big rock, a little boy convinced his sister to jump off, then shouted, “Just kidding!” denying his intentions to join her in the water.

Four teenage boys rocked the dock back and forth. When one of them wanted to jump, he made the others stand back to ensure he wasn't pushed. After getting out, they played Nerf football on the beach.

In the swimming area, which is marked off by a chain of orange buoys, I joined a group of people playing catch with a small beach ball. But on the third or fourth time the ball came to me, I dropped it.

“You gotta go under,” instructed Tim Berraras of Eugene, the apparent leader of the group including his daughters and friends. “That's the game we're playing.”

After making at least as many catches and going under my third time, the end of the game neared when Austin Mooney, 13, of Harrisburg, decided he was cold. Berraras said they could stop after there were five more dunks. They came quickly, and fortunately only one was me.

Then they got out of the water and rejoined the rest of their group, who were camping at the lake over the weekend.

“We call it a hidden gem,” said Brent Pelkey, 34, of Harrisburg. “It's our favorite place to camp.”

The lake is popular also with Marshfield and North Bend High School students, who make frequent trips every summer, as do many Bay Area families.

All together, there are about 275 visitors per day at the BLM beach during July and August, according to Park Manager Janis Lloyd. The campground, which includes 40 campsites that allow six people each, is usually full for the same time, Lloyd said.

There is another option nearby. Two miles past the BLM park on Loon Lake Road is the Loon Lake Lodge & RV Resort. The lodge offers a range of accommodations, including campsites, cabins, cottages and a motel. It includes a restaurant and convenience store and offers boat rentals.

Loon Lake

BLM beach and campground

Day-use fee is $5 per vehicle or $3 per person for walk-ins. Campsites are $18 per night.

Loon Lake Lodge & RV Resort

Rates vary seasonally. In the summer, costs range from $21 for a campsite to $155 for an eight-person cottage.

More information is available at www.loonlakerv.com or by calling (866) 360-3116.