Bear Lake State Park (sometimes called North Beach State Park) is a public recreation area bordering the north and eastern shores of
Bear Lake in the southeast corner of
Bear Lake County,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
, near the
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
state lines. The
state park sits across the lake from
St. Charles and is south of
Montpelier.
[ Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies adjacent to the park's north unit.][
]
History
The state purchased land for the park in 1969 using funds supplied through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. At the same time, the North Beach unit was leased from Utah Power and Light.[ Management of the north unit continues under lease from PacifiCorp.][
]
Wildlife
This state park is home to bonneville cisco, cutthroat trout, moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
, pelicans, lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...
, deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
, cranes and cougar.
Features
Bear Lake owes its turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of year ...
blue color to the presence of suspended calcium carbonate (limestone).[ The park's two units each have a beach over in length with gradually sloping lake bottom and large swimming area. Camping is offered in the east unit. In winter, the park provides ice fishing access for the annual runs of Bonneville cisco.][
]
See also
* List of Idaho state parks
* National Parks in Idaho
References
External links
Bear Lake State Park
Idaho Parks and Recreation
Bear Lake State Park Location Map
Idaho Parks and Recreation
{{authority control
State parks of Idaho
Protected areas of Bear Lake County, Idaho
Provincial and state parks in the Rocky Mountains
Protected areas established in 1969
1969 establishments in Idaho