Bear Lake State Park is located in a high mountain valley in the extreme southeast corner of Idaho. At 5,900 feet elevation, the park offers a wide variety of both summer and winter recreation opportunities. Bear Lake itself is 20 miles long and 8 miles wide with half of the lake in Idaho and half in Utah. The lake is a water sports Mecca attracting boaters, water skiers, and beach lovers from all over the country.
All that inviting water is hard to resist. Swimmers will enjoy a two-mile-long beach on the north end of the lake, plus a 1-1/2 mile beach on the east side. The gradual slope of the lake bottom provides an enormous swimming area. Ramps are available for boaters and water skiers who want to enjoy the water, too. Anglers can try for a native cutthroat or lake trout in the summer. In the winter, they can come back with buckets and nets when the Bonneville cisco run. The fish is found nowhere else on Earth.
The Park Today
As of October 21, 2009 the campground is still open, however the water and electricity has been turned off for the season.
The east beach boat ramp remains closed due to low water, but the north beach ramp is open.
Cisco Beach and Rainbow Cove on the east side of the lake in Utah also have usable boat ramps.
The Bear Lake State Park campground is located on the east side of the lake and offers 47 individual, and three (3) group campsites. The North Beach unit of the park offers over two miles of sandy beach for day use.
Prior to Memorial Day and after Labor Day, it is less busy and fishermen tend to have the lake to enjoy for themselves. The weather in September can be some of the nicest of the year, with temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. The Cache mountain range borders the lake on the western shore and offers miles of hiking, biking, and motorized trails. Minnetonka Cave is minutes from North Beach and is open from early June to September. During the winter, the park grooms almost 300 miles of snowmobile trails in these high mountains. The Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge borders the park on the north and offers great bird watching year round. No matter what your favorite activity, you can find it at Bear Lake State Park!