FAMILY VACATION SERIES: Bear Lake

If you are wanting a vacation with white sandy beaches and clear blue/green water, you don't have to travel out of Utah! Bear Lake has all of this and more! It is one of my all-time favorite vacation spots! (Read about the famous Bear Lake Monster!)

WHERE TO STAY:
With campsites on the beach, or hotels nearby, there are many options for lodging. (I personally love the camping aspect of Bear Lake, especially on the beach!) View the map of Bear Lake to plan what you want to do, then where you want to stay according to your activities.

WHAT TO DO WHILE THERE:
There are many things to do at Bear Lake, depending on the time of year you go. My favorite time to go is summertime, when you can play on the beach and play in the water. There are many vendors that will rent out boats, jet skis, etc.  Cave exploration and bicycling are also popular activities. View the map of Bear Lake to plan what you want to do, then where you want to stay according to your activities.

Bear Lake always has a full event calendar year-round. Here are some of their more popular events:

• Annual Bear Lake Marathon: Usually in June
• Bear Lake Kite Festival: Usually at the end of June
• Bear Lake Cowboy Gathering and Butch Cassidy Shootout: Usually in July
• Raspberry Days: Usually in August
• Bear Lake Outdoor Heritage Days: Usually in September

Make sure that while you are there, you stop at the Hometown Drive-In in Garden City for a raspberry shake!

From Our Readers:

• "Also, Bloomington Canyon is a beautiful place for a hike with kids. There is a rope on a tree and people like to jump in the water. Its lots of fun, but the water according to my husband is very cold because its in between two mountains and there is some snow there in July. Bloomington is in between Paris and Bear Lake North Beach. We go there every year about 3 times during the summer." - Veridian M.
• "Beyond favorite! Last year the girls and I base-camped there and spent a very LONG day exploring part of the historic Oregon Trail. You can pick it up in Paris, ID just north of the lake. It was so much fun. We even got to send ourselves letters via a Pony Express re-enactment!" - Kelly A.

HOW TO GET THERE:
From Salt Lake City, Bear Lake is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. From Salt Lake City, take I-15 north until you reach the signs towards Logan. Follow the signs to Logan, then proceed towards Garden City. Garden City is located on the shores of Bear Lake.


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For more Family Vacation Ideas, visit our Family Vacation Series page!