Bear Lake

[Josh Shirley]

Hey, who out there has sailed Bear Lake?
Does a south wind work?
What beach did you sail from?
Did/does the mountains affect the wind?
Do you think you would have been better off sailing somewhere else?
Any other general thoughts and comments.

[lesvierra]

In my limited experience (3-4 times), north and south works great because that is the way the valley is shaped. plus you can get just about any aspect, onshore offshore sideshore slightly any variation because of all the beaches. Its never been gusty on me except with storm wind.

[Rod Meiners]

I sailed Bear Lake a week ago Tuesday. It was a gusty west wind coming over the mountains. I sailed from a small beach right next to the state park boat harbor. There were screeming runs paralell to the shoreline that were entertaining for my family, but then the wind would completely die for 5 minutes. Since it was offshore and gusty, I tried to not go out too far. Probably much better on a north or south - but I have not been lucky for that the times I have been there.

[tomsmart]

North and South both work well. I sail near Garden City. There are a couple of access points to the lake. There is a little extra wind that comes out of the canyon that can make the difference on a marginal day.

[RickHeninger]

That's it? That's all the Bear Lake imformation we can eek out??? I guess the sailing club would probably know quite a bit... But Jacob Buzianis... Didn't you grow up sailing there?

The water is so warm up there this year that I'd love to have a good session on that Carribean water. I sailed there once this year because we had a family reunion and I brought my stuff... However, it was only marginal the two days I was there...

[BrianArmstrong]

I've been there a few times kiteboarding. The only area I've kited is the south and southwest side of the lake. Advantages of the southwest side is good setup area, sandy beach and about waist deep for a good 100 yards. Also, even if the lake is a bit crowded, you can usually find a good stretch of beach that would be plenty safe to setup. That area works well on a south or north wind.

I've also launched from Rendezvous beach by the camping area vs. the main public beach. There are a few decent areas to rig up and as soon as you get into the water, it is all sandy bottom.

I think Bear Lake has some great potential, but I have no idea how to predict wind direction. Since I'm up there a few times / year, I take my gear each time and just hope for the best.

Last outing was Aug 14 - 17 and every day was blowing from the south 14-18mph at the south end of the lake by Rendezvous. I suspect there are some great launches on the north end of the lake as well. I know there are some good sandy beaches on the north - northwest side. If we had some good wind predictors for that area, Bear Lake would be a great kiteboarding destination.

After all, Bear Lake is the "Caribbean of the Rockies".