Bear Lake Valley was first visited by a small group of trappers in the winter of 1811-12. Thomas L. Smith, known as ‘Peg Leg Smith’ was one of the first settlers to the Bear Lake Valley. Two fur-trader Rendezvous were held during the summers of 1826 and 1827. Such notables as Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, William Ashley and Tom Fitzgerald were in attendance. Mormon Apostle Charles C. Rich settled the Bear Lake Valley in 1863 on the west side of the valley known today as Paris, Idaho.
The Paris Tabernacle was completed by Mormon Pioneers in 1889
Bear Lake Elevation: 5,923 feet
Length: 20 miles
Width: 8 miles
Shoreline: 48 miles
Surface: 112 square miles
Depth: 208 feet
Volume: 6.5 million acre feet
Fish: Bear Lake Cutthroat, Lake Trout(Mackinaw), Bonneville Cisco, (endemic fish), Bear Lake Whitefish(endemic fish), Bonneville Whitefish(endemic fish), Bear Lake Sculpin(endemic fish), Utah Sucker, Utah Chub, Carp, and Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, and Brook and Brown Trout
Wildlife: Mule Deer, Elk, Moose, Red Fox, Cottontail Rabbit, Unita Ground Squirrel, Western Gribes, Common Loon, Comorants, Golden and Bald Eagles, Mergansers, Seagulls, Pelicans, Assorted Duck and Geese, Muskrats, Beaver, Blow Snakes, Western Garter Snakes, Great Basin Rattlesnakes
Population / 2000 Census
Bear Lake County: 6411
Rich County: 1961
Average High and Low Temperatures in the Bear Lake Area - Summer mid 80's, Winter 32 or less
Mileage from Salt Lake City:125 miles,
Mileage to Yellowstone National Park: 180 miles
Minnetonka Cave, largest commercially developed limestone cave in the state of Idaho.
Full service communities -
Garden City, Utah, Montpelier, Idaho
Historical Sites
Wilford Woodruff Home, Randolph, Utah
Paris Historical Museum, Paris, Idaho
Paris Historical District, Paris, Idaho
Montpelier Historical District, Montpelier, Idaho
The National Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, Idaho
Rails & Trails Museum, Montpelier, Idaho
Recreation: Hiking, swimming, waterskiing and watersports, mountain biking, bird watching, snowmobiling, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, camping at Idaho and Utah State Parks, private campgrounds, fishing, golf, horseback riding, guided tours and shopping.
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