Bear Lake
Bear Lake is a high-elevation alpine lake on the Idaho-Utah border, famed for its bright turquoise color and pristine mountain setting. The lake offers year-round recreation: summer swimming and boating, winter snowmobiling, and fishing for Coregonus spp (including the state fish of Utah). Key access points include City Beach (Garden City), and numerous campgrounds and trailheads along the surrounding roads.
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Geography
| Continent | North America |
|---|---|
| Region | Great Basin |
| Subregion | Intermountain West |
| Country | United States |
| State | IdahoUtah |
| County | Rich County (Utah)Cache County (Utah)Franklin County (Idaho)Caribou County (Idaho) |
| Timezone | AmericaDenver |
| Latitude | -0.319 |
| Longitude | -0.371 |
| Maps |
7:15 PM LOCAL TIMEBear Lake sits at roughly 5,920 to 6,020 feet in a broad basin shared by northern Utah and southeastern Idaho, serving as a natural boundary and shared recreational playfield. The lake’s most distinctive feature is its vivid, glacier-fed blue, which makes it a year-round visual centerpiece for visitors and locals. Recreational activities spill across its shores and into adjacent parks — expect water sports and swimming in summer, winter snowmobiling and ice skating, and *fishing for Coregonus (mountain whitefish) and Salvelinus fontinalis (brook trout)* depending on season and local regulations. Infrastructure around the lake is a mix of formal parks (like City Beach at Garden City), campgrounds, and backcountry trailheads providing access to nearby hikes and scenic overlooks. While it’s most popular in warm-weather months, the area’s dramatic mountain backdrop and basin views (including long-range peaks of the Uinta and Teton ranges) reward year-round exploration and serve as a gateway to regional wildlife and outdoor pursuits.
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