What lives in Bear Lake Utah?
Surviving known endemic species of fish include the Bear Lake strain of the Bonneville cutthroat trout, Bonneville cisco, Bonneville whitefish, Bear Lake whitefish, and Bear Lake sculpin.
The lake is renowned for its beautiful turquoise color and its attractiveness to tourists. The lake was known to numerous Native American groups who came into the Bear Lake Valley during the summers, and from them it received its name.
Increased lake elevation flooded much of the north end of the Bear Lake valley and lowered the water hardness creating extensive warm, productive shallow areas ideal for mollusk growth.
Bear Lake hosts four endemic fish species: Bonneville Cisco, Bonneville Whitefish, Bear Lake Whitefish, and the Bear Lake Sculpin. Bear River Cutthroat Trout and Lake Trout can be found near Cisco Beach, Rainbow Cove, and the Bear Lake Marina.
A few reptiles roam the preserve, including the Great Basin rattlesnake, garter snake, striped whipsnake, and sagebrush lizard, but they are rarely seen.
Are there sharks in Big Bear Lake? There are no sharks to worry about at this freshwater lake! The water can even reach a balmy 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) in the warmer months and become too hot for swimming due to algae blooms!
Bear Lake contains abundant suspended microscopic particles of white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that reflect the water's natural blue color back to the surface, giving the lake its intense turquoise-blue color.
Bears - Any bear you encounter in Big Bear Lake will be a black bear and like rattlesnakes, they tend to avoid humans. It's rare that you should encounter a bear.
Swimming off the nice, gentle beaches of Bear Lake is fun for the whole family. Be sure to bring a sun umbrella, a picnic lunch and a beach ball!
“Bears' ranges change; we've seen them in new places in Northern Utah. I mean, Bear Lake is named that for a reason—historically, there were Grizzlies there.” Now black bears come and go. Their core regions are the Wasatch Front from Salt Lake City south, the Book Cliffs, The LaSal Mountains and Boulder Mountains.
Is there bears in Bear Lake?
Bears - Any bear you encounter in Big Bear Lake will be a black bear and like rattlesnakes, they tend to avoid humans. It's rare that you should encounter a bear.
At 20 miles long and 8 miles wide, half of Bear Lake is located in Idaho, the other half in Utah. Known for its intense turquoise colored water, the lake is often called the Caribbean of the Rockies. A gradual slope to the lake bottom provides an enormous swimming area in the summer.
Many Utah lakes contain crawdads; some of the best places to go are Strawberry, Bear Lake, and Joe's Valley Reservoir, according to Miller. There's no limit on how many you can catch.