About Bear Lake State Park
Bear Lake State Park is located in southeastern Idaho near the Cache Mountains, straddling the Idaho-Utah border with half the lake in each state. Known for its striking turquoise water—often called the Caribbean of the Rockies—the lake spans 20 miles long and 8 miles wide, with a gradual slope that creates expansive swimming areas in summer. Ice fishing for the endemic Bonneville cisco is a winter attraction.
The park offers multiple day-use areas, including North Beach and East Beach, both providing beach access, picnic tables, restrooms, life jacket loaner stations, and boat ramps. North Beach features over a mile of sandy shoreline and a parking reservation system to manage capacity. Campgrounds, including Mountain Fawn and East Beach, offer serviced and standard sites, as well as group sites for up to 50 people, with amenities like fire rings, dump stations, and lakeshore views. Day-use hours are generally 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., as per Idaho state code, subject to park manager discretion.