Bear Lake levels hit a concerning high

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Another busy spot, Bear Lake. Well, it's only May and already Bear Lake water levels have peaked. At least that's according to park managers during the nearly non-existent runoff.

[00:00:10]>> specialist Mike Anderson has a look at what that could mean for the upcoming season.

[00:00:16]The good news is that Bear Lake is huge, as you know, well over 100 square miles of surface area when full. So, still plenty of room to play, but you will see signs all over of the low water levels for the season. The most obvious piece of that will likely be the large open swaths of beach. That means more beach parking on both the Utah and Idaho sides and more space for visitors. Meantime, the water is only going down from here as the season goes on. Pacificorp manages the water for power generation and agricultural uses, so it will drop as they fulfill those contracts. And right now, the water is around 7 ft below capacity and it's expected that we will see that drop another 4 to 5 ft by October. This weekend, some people are starting to show up for the early preseason as the crowds tend to really pick up closer toward the 4th of July.

[00:01:05]It's really fun.

[00:01:07]Water is nice even though it's low, but I like it.

[00:01:09]>> For me, there's just so much beach to be had and it's kind of, you know, just more area to play, but I didn't realize that this was the the highest water level we're going to have for the the whole year.

[00:01:22]And park managers in Utah expect to be able to keep four boat ramps open all summer long. It's a little less certain for Rendezvous Beach, North Eden, and Rainbow Cove. And the nonprofit Bear Lake Watch, which keeps an eye out for the health of the lake, says this could be a good break from the sediment and minerals that are pumped in during the busier water years, giving the lake a chance to sit at some of its more natural conditions.

[00:01:47]Mike Anderson for Live at Five.