Utah Hike of the Week: Bear Trail at Bear Lake

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Directions • To start the Bear Trail from the southern end, go to Ideal Beach Resort at 2176 S. Bear Lake Blvd. in Garden City. To start from the north, go to Bear Lake State Park, 940 N. Bear Lake Blvd.

Hike • Some won't consider the Bear Trail a real hike because it is a paved path through a town, but at 4.6 miles in each direction, the trail offers some exercise with views of Bear Lake. It's a great bicycling and stroller path, too. From the southern end, the trail will be on the east side of Bear Lake Boulevard (also known as State Road 30). You need to walk past Ideal Beach Resort before any descent views of the lake emerge. At seven-tenths of a mile, the trail crosses to the west side of the road. At 3.2 miles, the trail crosses U.S. Highway 89 and you will be in Garden City's business district. The trail ends across from Bear Lake State Park.

— Nate Carlisle

Destination: End of trail

Hiking time • 4 hours

Round-trip miles • 9.2 miles

Elevation gain • Minimal

Difficulty • Easy

Trail head restrooms • No

Dogs allowed • Yes

Bikes allowed • Yes

Fees • No