Bear Lake State Park

Turquoise blue, 20-mile-long Bear Lake straddles the Utah-Idaho border east of Logan, Utah. It's a natural lake, formed by earthquake activity, and the blue color comes from calcium carbonate suspended in the water. The state park here is divided into three units: the marina, which is on the west shore just north of the resort town of Garden City; wide, sandy Rendezvous Beach eight miles south of Garden City on the lake's southern shore; and East Beach, on the lake's largely undeveloped eastern shore. Each area has a campground (primitive at East Beach) and boat ramps; boat rentals are available at Rendezvous. Fishing, including wintertime ...

Turquoise blue, 20-mile-long Bear Lake straddles the Utah-Idaho border east of Logan, Utah. It's a natural lake, formed by earthquake activity, and the blue color comes from calcium carbonate suspended in the water. The state park here is divided into three units: the marina, which is on the west shore just north of the resort town of Garden City; wide, sandy Rendezvous Beach eight miles south of Garden City on the lake's southern shore; and East Beach, on the lake's largely undeveloped eastern shore. Each area has a campground (primitive at East Beach) and boat ramps; boat rentals are available at Rendezvous. Fishing, including wintertime ice-fishing, and water-skiing are the main lake activities. Legends tell of a Bear Lake Monster. Bear Lake is a very popular place for family get-togethers, with a couple of large condo resorts near Garden City and Laketown. Garden City bustles during the first weekend of August, when Raspberry Days celebrate the local bounty.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.