tips for your trip                                                 

Beach Crowds

It gets crowded in the summer, so be prepared for that. We've been told people have waited over an hour at the Utah State Marian to launch their boats. To help you out, here are some beach suggestions you might consider:

Make a reservation up at North Beach in Idaho. Since they do reservations, your wait to get in the water will likely be better. It's a giant beach up there. Probably the most popular on the lake.                                                                                                                                                                                                      https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/bear-lake/

Try using one of the newer, small beach parks on the east side of the lake. The Idaho East Side Day Use area is probably the nicest, but Utah has some new spots too. The Idaho East Side has pavilions, some trees, and decent beaches. There is a boat launch just north of the park called the East Shore Marina.  https://bearlake.org/item/bear-lake-state-park-campground-idaho/

Launch your boat near the cabin and find a beach from there.  Epic Recreation's private boat launch is quite near the cabin. They charge $10 and have lines that tend to be far less than other, more well known areas. From there you could drive your boat out any beach you want.                        https://epicrecreation.com/location/rv-park-marina

Restaurant Crowds

Everyone wants to get a burger and raspberry shake while at the lake. And who can blame them? There are some good burgers and shakes to be had. Our favorite burger joint is Zips, but it can get ridiculously crowded. Our tip is to try getting going out for lunch instead of dinner. People are often out doing activities during the day and the wait tends to be shorter. Especially if you can plan an early lunch around 11:00 or 11:30.

Grocery Store

Mike's Market is a decent little store, but there prices are rather high and they tend to run out of things like drinks, chips, and paper plates on busy weekends. So our tip is bring as much of your food with you as you can. Shopping in your hometown, or even stopping in Logan can save you both dollars and headaches.

Internet

There is only one internet provider in the area, and they are clearly struggling to keep up with the influx of crowds in the summer months. If you have someone who will need to work while at the cabin, make sure they know that the connection might be slow. Also, if you are planning a movie night, you might bring along the DVD just in case. Some night up there we have had no trouble streaming TV and movies, and other times there has been a fair bit of 'buffering.' We have contacted CentraCom about the problem, and know other residents have done the same. Fingers crossed that they figure it out sooner rather than later!

Church

In the summer months, your options are to attend one of the Garden City wards at 9:00 or 11:00 in the chapel at 65 S Bear Lake Blvd, or to attend the visitors sacrament meetings that they hold especially for vacationers at 9:00, 10:30, and 12:00 in the new church building at 100 Paradise Parkway. Either way, arrive 15-20 minutes early if you want to sit down!