Utah · PacifiCorp (storage) / Utah & Idaho State Parks

Bear Lake water level

Today's reading against full pool and Bear Lake's own seasonal history.

FULL POOL 5910 5915 5920
Elevation, feet (Bear Lake (UP L) datum)

as of August 14, 2026

5912.86 ft Bear Lake (UP L) datum

level 10.8 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 10055000) and updates live when you load this page.


Bear Lake through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1980–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

full pool 5910 5915 5920 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 1980–2026 · elevation, feet (Bear Lake (UP L) datum)

This year vs the years that matter

This year's trace against last year and the driest and wettest years on record — the drought-context question every lake regular asks.

full pool 5905 5910 5915 5920 5925 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 1983 (wettest on record)
  • 2004 (driest on record)
  • 2025 (last year)
  • 2026 (this year)

Full pool, datum, and the gauge

"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.

Full pool 5923.65 ft Bear Lake (UP L) datum · per PacifiCorp (storage) / Utah & Idaho State Parks full-pool reference
Gauge USGS gauge 10055000 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum Bear Lake (UP L) datum — DATUM TRAP: use param 00062 (traditional Bear Lake/UP&L datum, 5,912.84 now) which matches the 5,923.65 full-pool convention; the same site's 62615 NAVD88 series reads ~6.9 ft higher (5,919.73) - do not mix.
Last verified August 15, 2026

LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.

Quick answers

How full is Bear Lake right now?

Bear Lake is at 5912.86 ft (Bear Lake (UP L) datum) as of August 14, 2026 — 10.8 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August

Is Bear Lake full?

Not quite — at 5912.86 ft, Bear Lake is 10.8 ft below its full pool of 5923.65 ft (Bear Lake (UP L) datum).

What is full pool for Bear Lake?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Bear Lake is 5923.65 ft Bear Lake (UP L) datum, per PacifiCorp (storage) / Utah & Idaho State Parks full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.