We went to Loon lake after having many friends tell us how beautiful it was. They were talking about the BLM Camp ground there, not Loon Lake Lodge Camp Grounds. But when we registered for camping we didn't realize there were 2 different camp grounds. We arrived to find our camp site littered with trash and dog messes. Camp staff weren't helpful and we had to clean it ourselves. The campsites have NO PRIVACY from one another. A neighboring camper described it best when he referred to it as a refugee camp. The first night we had neighboring campers who kept us up till very late playing loud music and yelling. No camp employees were there to enforce the quiet hours, which were suppose to be between 10:00pm and 7:00am, and it was left to the fellow campers to deal with the noise till 2:00am. The next day we awoke tired after little sleep the night before, but went over to the BLM recreation area which has a nice sandy beach and swim area, plenty of picnic tables and nice showers. We had a wonderful day there and the kids had plenty of sand and grass to run around on. We returned to camp tuckered out after a restless night and a long day of play. The camp was quiet till 11:15 when loud music began to blare. We knew then it was going to be another long night, but at that time had no idea just how scary it would become. At 11:45 while walking back from the out house the noisy campers started up their truck and began to rev the engine over and over. A camper across the way asked that they knock it off, he had kids that were trying to sleep. The noisy camper stopped but only briefly, when she began to do it again the camper across the way along with 3 other men approached their camp and told them they needed to turn it off, but they brought over a axe which only made the situation worse. Once that calmed down the campers went back to what they were doing. They were still loud but at least they weren't revving their engine any more. An hour later the revving starts up again and you hear a women screaming, "help, help, help him." The fighting had started again. One of the noisy campers goes into the other camp site and goes at the picnic table with a axe breaking a bunch of stuff. (I can see this 6 campsites away because 1. the campsites are super small and close together, and 2. the only thing to look around or over are the tents people have up because there again is no privacy.) At this point my husband and one of our friends, we are camping with, go up the hill to the lodge to get help. The on site manager is not home, no one is in the lodge and the pay phone doesn't work, we have no cell service and are feeling very helpless. We have been left with no options. The camp staff should have had someone on site, a working pay phone, should enforce their quiet hours so we woudln't be put into situations like this and I could go on and on. Then the drunks climb in their trucks and start chasing one another down the main road. While the men were up top trying to find help I was in the tent with our 4 kids listening to people screaming, fist hitting skin, axes waking things, people screaming about guns and yelling help. It was very scary and there was no one there to help us. Someone did drive out the 9 miles to the main highway and call the police, they showed up a hour later. When talking to the manager the next day it sounded like the police come out often. The manager said sorry but no money was refunded. Typing this out I can't express the pure terror we felt for our children and ourselves. It was like a scary movie being stuck in the middle of no where, and having scary things happening all around you with no one to help you. If you are looking for a nice relaxing weekend, this is not the place. If you want to have a nice time with your family, this is not the place. If you want to party and yell and fight and no one but fellow campers to tell you to be quiet, well this is the place for you.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
10 September 2010
Please accept our sincere apologies; this was an ugly situation that never should have happened. On Friday night the park was checked at 10:15 and again at 11:30. There were not any sites at that time that were loud. On Saturday at noon, the manager was approached by a guest who was concerned. He told the manager that around 1:00 am on Friday night/Saturday morning a guest in the park started getting very loud and was using profanity. The manager proceeded to go by the site repeatedly through the rest of the afternoon. The guests were out on the lake, and not available to speak with. On Saturday evening the park was checked at 10:00 when quiet hours start, and then again at 11:00. In reading your review, it is clear that the noise did not start until around 11:15, after the last rounds had been made. The store closing staff reported that people were talking on pay phone when they left work Saturday evening. A Staff member did hear someone around 1:00 am on the back porch to the Lodge Office. He went out to talk to that person. At this point, the fight had already happened, and people had already left for town to go to the hospital calling the Sheriff when they hit cell range. By time any employee was spoken to, it was too late. No one ever came to ask personnel to quiet things down or to handle an out of control situation. Instead of coming for help, it was a case of individual’s putting matters into their own hands. As Police Report #10-3151 states, “all of the parties involved in this disturbance were mutually combative and that no clear cut aggressor seems to stand out”. This was not a normal incident at Loon Lake; it is a fun family place. Money was refund to guests for the bad camping experience. If you did not receive a refund, please contact us directly.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC