Bear Lake (bearlake.org) offers 120 square miles of tantalizing turquoise water for any number of waterborne activities. The state park located adjacent to Garden City has a large enclosed marina open year-round from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. with a large boat slip and all of the usual amenities. Bring your own personal watercraft or rent one from the marina. At the lake you can go sailing, boating, water-skiing and swimming, or enjoy a more relaxing day fishing for cutthroat and lake trout or for whitefish.
There are more than 350 miles of trails in the wilderness around Garden City that are open to horseback riding, hiking, ATVs, trail bikes and mountain bikes. Bear Lake Scenic Bike Trail is a four-mile paved scenic trail that runs alongside the lakeshore from the marina to Ideal Beach. A raised wooden walkway with signs that tell the story of the lake runs from the town down to the lakeshore. You'll find a 55-mile trail on the western side of the lake that meanders into a number of scenic canyons, including Emigration Canyon, Paris Canyon, Logan Canyon and Bloomington Canyon. This trail is suitable for ATVs, bikes and horseback riding.
Golfers can enjoy two golf courses. The Bear Lake Golf Course (bearlakewest.com) in Garden City offers 3,376 yards of golf on undulating greens with four small lakes and a stream as well as numerous sand traps coming into play on the par-36 course. Just six miles to the north at the Bear Lake West Golf & Country Club (bearlakewest.com) in Fish Haven is a par-33 course that measures 2,715 yards. Other summer activities include cave exploring at the Minnetonka Cave (no website; Forest Road 412, St. Charles; 208-847-0375), a captivating nine-room cave with stalactites and stalagmites, and in the first week of August is the local Raspberry Festival, with a rodeo, parade, craft stalls and fireworks.
If you enjoy winter activities, you will find plenty to keep yourself occupied with 350 miles of trails that are groomed for snowmobiling and there is also good riding off trail. Cross-country skiing is catered on the summer's ATV trails, and for and for those that prefer downhill, just 10 miles to the west of town is the Beaver Mountain Ski Resort (skithebeav.com) with four chairlifts and night skiing. The ski trails here are suitable for all ages. Bear Lake freezes over in winter four out of every five years, and when the lake is open, fishermen can enjoy jigging or trolling for trout and whitefish.
