Bear Lake
Rich County, UtahView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Limited data
Bear Lake in Rich County, Utah is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 21.2 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 21.2 ft
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bear Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bear Lake in Rich County, Utah — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
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Watch Bear Lake’s letter
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Why Bear Lake has no grade
Bear Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Bear Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 21.2-foot median from 13 readings collected 2012–2019 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by Utah DWQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Bear Lake is a lake in Rich County, Utah. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2019-08-06. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21.2 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Bear Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Crystal clear, you can see 21.2 ft down. TSI 33.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 21.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 33 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Fishing Bear Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.28 m/yr | 3 |
Nearby Lakes in Rich County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake
Where is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake is a lake in Rich County, Utah. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake in Rich County, Utah is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 21.2 ft visibility.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS13 samples · 2012–2019
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.