Low water levels impact Bear Lake State Park

ST. CHARLES, Idaho (KIFI) - It may be a shortened boating season at the Bear Lake State Park due to low water levels.

Park Manager Andrew Stokes says the north side of Bear Lake on the Idaho side of the border is its most shallow end. Any minor shift in the water levels can have a major impact.

"One of the difficulties for us is we have only three ramps on the Idaho side," Stokes said. "Two of them are already inoperable, and the one behind me is getting awfully close."

Stokes says despite the conditions, attendance at the park continues to stay strong. 

"We've seen a lot of folks still come to the park," Stokes said. "We have noticed that boating traffic is a little bit lower."

While there has been a good amount of people visiting the park this summer, it may be a different story when August gets here.

"It looks like it's all sunshine and warm temps which could certainly impact the lake level even more," Stokes said. "It drops about a half an inch a day, four inches a week and over a foot each month. We may get into August where we're going to have to potentially shut down the ramp."