The "Caribbean of the Rockies," 250,000 years in the making.
Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake straddling the Utah-Idaho border, roughly 250,000 years old and famous for turquoise water — limestone deposits from the surrounding mountains refract sunlight into the bright blue that gives the lake its "Caribbean of the Rockies" nickname.
Bear Lake sits on the Utah-Idaho border, nearly 70,000 acres and estimated at more than 250,000 years old — one of the oldest lakes in North America. Limestone deposits from the Bear River Range suspend calcium carbonate in the water, refracting sunlight into the vivid turquoise the lake is known for. The Shoshone summered here for centuries, calling it Sweet Lake, before mountain men and Mormon pioneers arrived in the 1800s. Garden City, Utah anchors the commercial base on the south end, home to Bear Lake State Park Marina and LaBeau's Drive In, a local institution since 1981 for the valley's famous fresh raspberry shake — celebrated each August at Bear Lake Raspberry Days. Fish Haven and Montpelier, Idaho, cover the north end, including Bear Lake Memorial Hospital, the area's critical access hospital.
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