Bear Lake

Bear Lake is located on the Utah-Idaho border in Rich County of northeast Utah. This is a natural lake featuring sandy beaches, famous raspberry shakes, and infamous mosquitos. Altitude is 5,900 feet. The lake is 8 miles wide and 20 miles long. Maximum depth is 208 feet, on the east side. Click here for map. Photo: Bear Lake from the east shore. Bruce Argyle, September 7, 1998

Hitting the thermocline is like a slow-motion jump into ice water: temperatures drop abruptly to about 50 degrees in June-July. By late August, deep temperatures have climbed to 57-58. Daytime darkness is around 90 feet depth.

Seasonal Variation: The lake water temperature becomes tolerable starting in late May, and diving continues through October. September is a great time to dive the lake. Expect afternoon thunderstorms almost every day after mid-August.

Cisco Beach, on the east side, has 3 dive areas with anchored dive buoys. August 1999: we've been informed the buoys are gone. Contact the state park to protest! Right: Mike Engberson, Bruce and Gary Argyle prepare to dive.

Facilities: Motels, RV hookups, and several camping areas area available. Water skiing is the main draw here. Three state parks provide boat access to the lake. Divers use the east shore because it's rockier, has more "sea life," and gets deep faster. Camping is available there (right next to shore). At one time, there was a miniature dive store at the beach. Logan is your closest source of air fills.

Our Recommendation: Take your scuba gear along when you visit Bear Lake. When you're too sore to water ski any more, drive around to Cisco Beach on the east shore. This popular site has anchored dive buoys and shaded diver prep areas. (There's a $4 fee for Cisco Beach.) Your whole family can play in the water and snorkel around the shallows while you dive! And if you want more diving while you're in the Bear Lake area, there are friendly trout 20 miles up the canyon at Tony Grove Lake.

Left: Dominic Bria gets some help from his son Vince at Cisco Beach. Right: Bruce Argyle's daughter Kristen helps him test the visibility. (Nikonos 20 mm with 2 YS-50 strobes)

Regulations: Spearfishing is not allowed in Bear Lake. A sign at Cisco Beach warns you that certification cards and dive buddies are required.

You'll see a few fish around, mostly carp. Take a flashlight -- you'll see small fish hiding under ledges. Although I recall crawdads on the east shore as a child, we didn't find any while rolling rocks. Photo: This large carp is a favorite of divers. We've spotted this same fish several years in a row. Darkened by water minerals and sun exposure, this fish is almost black in color. Mike Engberson, Sea & Sea MX-10

Fees: There's a $4 fee to use the state parks. (Yes, you can dive Cisco Beach by parking just outside the gates, but don't be a skumbag -- the dollars you put in the box help maintain the dive site for you!) Shore diving along the Cisco Beach area starts at GPS N 41° 56.436' W 111° 16.722'.

Getting there: Click here for map.
    Salt Lake. Take I-80 up Parleys, exit at Evanston and take W-89 north (which becomes U-16). Eight miles north of Randolph at Sage Creek Jct, go left on U-30 to Laketown. From here you can go north to the lake's east side, or continue on U-30 around to Rendezvous Beach, Garden City, and Bear Lake State Park.
    Ogden. I-15 to US-89 & US-91 exit. In Logan, take US-89 through Logan Canyon canyon to Bear Lake. Arriving at the lake, north (left) takes you to the main marina at Bear Lake State Park. South (right) on U-30 takes you to Rendezvous Beach, Laketown, and around to the lake's east side.
    Provo. Go up Provo Canyon on US-189, turning left in Heber onto US-40/US-189. At I-80, turn right and continue on I-80 to Evanston. Exit in Evanston and take W-89 north (which becomes U-16). Eight miles north of Randolph at Sage Creek Jct, go left on U-30 to Laketown. From here you can go north (turn right) to the lake's east side, or continue on U-30 around to Rendezvous Beach, Garden City, and Bear Lake State Park.