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About Bear Lake
Surrounded by sage-brush-covered hills, the blue waters of Bear Lake fill the southern end of Bear Lake Valley. Located high in the Rocky Mountains, at an elevation of 5923 feet above sea level, the lake enjoys mild summers. Thousands of visitors enjoy boating, water skiing, swimming and other recreation in the surrounding mountains throughout the summer. Peaks in the Bear River Range on the lake's west side reach to 10,000 feet, where camping, hiking and four wheeling are also available, along with snowmobiling and skiing in the winter. Resorts and summer homes line the shores, especially in the Garden City area.
Bear Lake straddles the Utah-Idaho border, and is eighteen miles long from north to south, and up to seven miles wide. The average depth is 104 feet, with a maximum of 213 feet. Winters in Bear Lake Valley are cold and snowy, and only a small rural population lives year-round in the valley. In summer months visitors to the lake exceed the population of the valley.
Utah State operates a marina near Garden City called Bear Lake State Recreation Area, and also the Rendezvous Beach State Park on the south end of the lake. Idaho operates the North Beach State Park.
The length of the lake is 18.3 miles with a width of 7.1 miles. The maximum depth is 208 feet. Originally the lake was only fed by small mountain streams. The Bear River passes through the north end of the valley, and a canal now diverts the water of the river into the lake, and then back again. This provides an additional source to keep the lake full in dry seasons.
U.S. Highway 89 passes along the western shore of the lake, and Utah Highway 30 follows it's south-western shore.