Bear Lake State Park, State park in Laketown, Utah, USA

Bear Lake State Park sits along the eastern shore of Bear Lake, a large freshwater lake on the border between Utah and Idaho. The park has several separate beach areas, boat ramps, and campgrounds spread across different sections of the shoreline.

Bear Lake was formed about 28,000 years ago by an earthquake. Shoshone territory surrounded the lake, and in 1827 and 1828 Native Americans and white trappers, including Jedediah Smith, met on its shores to trade goods and tell stories. White settlers lived by the lake from 1863, the lake received its current name in 1819, and the state park opened in 1962.

Rendezvous Beach takes its name from the fur-trade gatherings held here in the summers of 1827 and 1828, when over a thousand Native Americans and mountain men, Jedediah Smith among them, met to trade. So many campfires burned at the lake's south end that one observer called it "a lighted city". The park now hosts the annual Mountain Man Rendezvous and Bear Lake Raspberry Days.

The park is easy to reach by car, and signs along the road guide visitors to the different beach and camping sections. A visit works best in summer when all facilities are open, though some areas may be accessible in other seasons as well.

The lake's turquoise color comes from tiny calcium carbonate particles suspended in the water, which scatter light in an unusual way. This gives it a tone more often associated with tropical seas, even though the lake sits at nearly 6,000 feet (about 1,800 meters) above sea level.