One of my favorite places to camp as a child was Bear Lake, nestled on the Utah-Idaho border. Recently my in-laws have favored waterskiing up there. It’s truly a beautiful place to be. I think this post would do better with my pictures, so here you go!

Bear Lake Skiing1 Bear Lake Skiing2 Bear Lake Skiing4 Bear Lake Skiing3 Bear Lake Skiing5 Bear Lake Skiing8 Bear Lake Skiing10 Bear Lake Skiing7

Bear Lake Skiing10The stronger your lower back and forearms are, the longer you are able to ski. You also need a lot of grip strength. I’ve yet to be the longest skier. I’m definitely the most inexperienced, because Colton’s family have all been skiing since they were three.

Because it is such a large lake, storms can come quickly and with great force. Boats race to get back to the docks, while sailboats head out in droves to dance among the swells and winds.

Bear Lake Skiing9 Bear Lake Skiing23 Bear Lake Skiing24 Bear Lake Skiing22

Sometimes we try out new toys, such as this Air Chair/Sky Ski. None of us knew how to work it, and it would often just shoot out of the water unpredictably and catch you completely off-guard.

Bear Lake Skiing15 Bear Lake Skiing16 Bear Lake Skiing17 Bear Lake Skiing18

I managed to stay up the longest, though unintentionally, and it was quite frightening.

For the bird-lovers out there, there is also the nearby Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge you can visit.

Bear Lake Skiing20 Bear Lake Skiing21 These dogs were having tons of fun splashing in the water.

Bear Lake Skiing25
And of course, at the end of the day, you get a shake, preferably one of Bear Lake’s famous raspberry shakes.

Bear Lake Skiing26

Tips For Bear Lake

  1. Go get a raspberry shake. Bear Lake is famous for their Raspberry Days during the summer. (Supposedly locally-grown raspberries from the town, but there’s no way they can grow that many raspberries for the demand in August…)
  2. Sunscreen, of course!
  3. Layers out on the boat, it’s cool in the morning and windy while you’re going!
  4. Sandcastle building materials for the beaches.
  5. Sunglasses and hats, but make sure your hat is on tight in the boat.
  6. Don’t be afraid of the carp in the water. They’re more afraid of you; we tried to catch them in the shallows, didn’t even get close!)