Bear Lake’s blue water is so stunning it boggles the mind.  Vibrant shades of turquoise pop against the surrounding mountains, with crystal clear water creating the effect of a giant natural swimming pool.

The lake sits on an ancient seabed, and over thousands of years the water has dissolved the limestone and suspended tiny particles in the water. That’s what gives the lake its unique and striking blue-green color – the limestone reflects the sunlight in a way that makes the water look almost electric.

Hikers who explore near the lake can see evidence of this unique geological feature in the exposed limestone cliffs and formations.

As the weather warms, sailors unfurl a spectrum of bright spinnakers harnessing the wind. Sunbathers recline on beach towels laid upon the white sand of the lake’s surrounding rim. Picnickers unpack vivid umbrellas and ice-filled coolers. Fly fisherman calmly cast neon lines that bounce into the breeze and undulating waves of shallow coves.

Newcomers might be forgiven for briefly mistaking this place for idyllic getaways like Aruba or Jamaica. The clue that this is a more northerly locale is the snow that coats on the Wasatch and Bear River ranges in winter. It’s no coincidence vacationers and locals alike call Bear Lake “The Caribbean of the Rockies.”

Travelers converge at this northern Utah corner where the lake straddles the Idaho border while sitting only 15 miles west of Wyoming. Motorists driving between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone National Park, 275 miles north, find Bear Lake a welcoming stop.

Those arriving from the lake’s west on U.S. Highway 89, the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, cut through sheer cliffs and verdant forests of lodgepole, ponderosa and aspen before cresting to a dramatic rise at The Bear Lake Overlook and Visitor Center. The view here presents a panorama of the sparkling sapphire waterbody seemingly hovering above fields of petite yellow wildflowers.

 

One suggested trail near the overlook is the 1.5-mile Limber Pine Nature Trail leading to a giant 560-year-old tree. After leaving Logan Canyon, the road descends to Garden City, population 630, named for the successful vegetable and fruit crops cultivated by the area’s first settlers.

Those arriving from the lake’s east on State Highway 30 pass through a gentle ascent over high plains through hills dotted with black volcanic boulders and fragrant juniper trees. Shortly after the blue shape of the lake comes into view, the road arrives at Laketown, population 300. This agricultural community is home to rodeo grounds, fields planted by fruit growers and a Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum holding local farming relics that the public can view by appointment.

Both settlements serve as hubs to explore the nearly 20-mile-long expanse of Bear Lake. Taking the northern route on Cisco Road from the intersection at Laketown leads up the lake’s east shore.

Happy campers can find spots with uninterrupted waterfront views at Cisco Beach and South Eden Campground, Rainbow Cove with its adjacent campground or North Eden Campground at the Utah-Idaho border.

Here lies a subduction zone where a dipping fault created the lake more than 250,000 years ago. Tectonic subsidence continues today, slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side, though RVers and sleepers in tents rarely feel the ground move.

Westward beyond Laketown, the road rounds along Rendezvous Beach, now a district of Bear Lake State Park named for the location of the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous held in the summers of 1827 and 1828. Mountain men including Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger convened here to trade with fellow Anglo trappers and the Shoshone, Ute and Bannock tribes.

Mountain man Philip Covington described the rendezvous in his journal: “Plenty of fine horses, plenty of fine brandy and whiskey at $2.00 a pint or tin cup full, plenty of goods and groceries of almost every description. Horse racing and shooting were carried on to a considerable degree, while card-playing and drinking was not neglected.”

Rendezvous Beach has long been a meeting place and may be the birthplace of Bear Lake’s moniker. Historical records suggest British-Canadian fur-trader Donald McKenzie is the first person of European descent known to have seen the lake. After following the Bear River upstream on a hunting expedition and attending an Indian gathering on the beach in 1819, McKenzie named the area Black Bear Lake, later shortened to Bear Lake, for the surroundings’ abundance of black bears.




As highway 30 again curves northward aside the lake’s west shore, other rocky beaches attract sun-seekers who stop to observe the lake’s ever-morphing blue color. Beachgoers also search the water for the so-called Bear Lake Monster, a serpent that swims faster than a horse runs on land. 

The lake’s unique water properties led to the evolution of several endemic species not naturally found anywhere else. Fish include Bonneville and Bear Lake whitefish, cisco (a small, silvery salmon-like fish), sculpin (an angularly-finned, sandy-toned bottom dweller that blends in with its surroundings) and Bear River cutthroat trout. Wildlife managers also introduced lake trout that have been recorded to grow up to 30 pounds. Fish can be caught from the shore or by boats launched from the Bear Lake State Park Marina or other ramps across the lake.

On the outskirts of Garden City is the former town of Pickelville, now annexed by the larger municipality. A large pine-log building called the Pickleville Playhouse stands out. Modeled after a theater in Idaho, LeGrande and Betty Larsen founded the playhouse in 1977 with the more playful “pickle” spelling. The Larsens hand-built the building, despite having no construction experience, with the help of six sons and one daughter.

The theater grew, and playhouse actors now perform up to 13 sold-out weekly shows, ranging from melodramas to Broadway classics. Youngest child Andrea Larsen Davis now owns the theater, and grandchildren TJ and Derek Davis serve as writers and partners. TJ created and plays a popular recurring character, the likable crook “Juanito Bandito.”

This year’s productions include the all-new Western adventure Welcome to Dangerville as well as fan favorites Newsies and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Highway 30 merges at a T-intersection with Highway 85 in Garden City. Labeled Bear Lake Boulevard, the thoroughfare is lined with shops, T-shirt boutiques and restaurants, but a 10-foot-high plastic rotating raspberry shake near the intersection signals the biggest business in town.

The landmark belongs to LaBeau’s, one of the oldest establishments offering the frozen refreshment, but locals and frequent visitors hotly debate which store sells the best rendition of the cool concoctions. Zipz, Hometown Drive-In, Quick ‘n’ Tasty Drive-In, even the city’s Chevron gas station, among others, attract lines of devoted followers who may wait up to a half hour to be served on busy weekend evenings.

After a day of soaking up the sun, the chance to rehydrate seems worth the wait with the only hazard being a brain freeze if the newly purchased shakes are eaten too quickly.

 

No one is quite sure who made Garden City’s first raspberry shake. Recipes vary from producer to producer and are tightly guarded secrets, but basically consist of vanilla ice cream and the ripest, sweetest, raspberries possible. Other flavors like banana, rhubarb or hot fudge are sometimes combined with the customary berry. Most mixtures overflow their cups and are so thick they must be eaten by spoon rather than straw.

Rich County residents do widely agree that the first person to plant raspberries in the region was German immigrant Theodore Hildt. More than a century ago, Hildt experimented with a dozen raspberry varieties as he happened upon a microclimate conducive to producing the tart treats. Swings of cool nights and warm days contribute to the resilient raspberries’ succulent nature.

A few rows of raspberries exploded to 80 acres in Hildt’s heyday. Today, the yield is less than an eighth that size due to risks from fungal viruses and hailstorms, but farms persevere. The harvest usually starts the third week of July and lasts 3-4 weeks, requiring the labor of pickers from within a 150-mile radius.

The annual Bear Lake Raspberry Days festival, this year Aug. 1-3, celebrates the raspberry harvest with pie-eating contests, Miss Berry Princess Pageant, musical performances, a craft fair and a boat parade on the lake. 

This corner of Utah offers an escape to the wild blue wonder and a raspberry shake with your name on it.