10 Best Lakeside Towns in Utah
Utah’s lakeside towns work year-round. The snow that piles up on the Wasatch and Bear River ranges runs off into manmade and natural lakes across the state. Some years the lakes are so full you’d never guess Utah is a desert. The scenery holds up even when water levels drop. Ten lakeside towns below, north to south.
Garden City
Spend one summer in a cabin or campground at Bear Lake and you may want to join Garden City’s other 798 residents full-time. The freshwater lake straddles the Utah-Idaho border, runs a deep turquoise blue, and covers 112 square miles of boating water. Wide sandy beaches and shallow water near shore make it good for paddling and swimming. Scuba divers come for the clarity, with wooden walkways for easy water access. On dry land there’s a paved bike path through Garden City and on to Lake Town and raspberry shakes at LaBeau’s.
Bear Lake doesn’t hibernate. Winter brings snowmobiling, Nordic skiing, and ice fishing. Cisco Beach is the best spot to dipnet for the small whitefish of the same name, and there’s an event every January called the Cisco Disco.
Huntsville and Eden
Pineview Reservoir is a boating reservoir in the valley below Snowbasin Resort and Powder Mountain. Huntsville and Eden are the small towns at the edges, surrounded by alpine scenery in every direction. Pineview has a walking and biking path around most of the reservoir, a marina, several day-use boat ramps, sandy beaches, and shady campgrounds. There’s also a boatless swimming area for anyone who doesn’t want to dodge motors.
Pineview isn’t only a day trip. About 600 people live in Huntsville and 840 in Eden, some on the reservoir’s shore. A small downtown in Eden has a gas station and several restaurants for after a day on the lake, including Eats of Eden and Carlos & Harley’s. Huntsville has the Shooting Star Saloon, the oldest continually operating saloon in Utah.
Syracuse
Sunrises and sunsets, western wildlife, and shoreline recreation at Antelope Island State Park make Syracuse a different kind of Utah lake town. Syracuse connects to the Great Salt Lake’s largest island by causeway, and the experience isn’t the typical boating-and-beach. The Great Salt Lake’s declining water levels have left the marina at Antelope Island inoperable, which makes every lakeside activity quieter. Mountain biking the White Rock Loop, hiking Buffalo Point, camping and swimming at Bridger Bay Beach. Frary Peak, the highest point on Antelope Island’s own mountain range, opens up 360-degree views of the lake plus the Wasatch and Promontory ranges. Western views of the water blend into the horizon, giving the Great Salt Lake a more coastal quality than a lake.
Heber City
Jordanelle Reservoir splits into three main recreation areas with campgrounds. Photographers and birders head to the elevated boardwalks and interpretive trails at Rock Cliff. Boaters use the eight-lane ramp at Hailstone. Another ramp is dedicated to personal watercraft. A wake-free zone keeps SUPs and kayaks safe from the speedboat traffic. Day-use cabanas can be reserved or you can drop a towel on a sandy spot and head for the inflatable Jordanelle Aqua Park.
Heber’s green hills roll around Jordanelle and offer a range of lodging. Condominium complexes on the hillside above the reservoir double as primary residences and vacation rentals. The upscale Mayflower Lakeside development has 2.8 miles of paved and gravel trails that connect to the Park City trail system. Walk after a day on the lake or drive to downtown Heber for food. Back 40 Ranch House Grill is the local favorite.
Echo
Echo Reservoir is the less-crowded alternative to Jordanelle. Located in the rural town of the same name, it has a campground and a lake stocked with trout, walleye, and smallmouth bass. May, June, and January (when the surface freezes solid) are prime fishing months. July and August belong to the morning waterskiers and wakeboarders, with sailboats showing up in the afternoon. The 28-mile Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail starts at Echo State Park and winds through mountain country and the small towns of Coalville and Wanship before terminating in Park City.
Vineyard
This walkable lakeside community 15 minutes from Provo has built a busy local scene around shopping and food spots like Umami Japanese Barbeque and Tossd Salads and Bowls. Vineyard Beach is wheelchair accessible, with ramps to the sandy shores on the northwest corner of Utah Lake. SUPs, sailboats, and personal watercraft all launch from the public beach onto the pale blue freshwater lake. A more developed boat ramp sits in nearby Lindon if needed. Vineyard Beach also connects to the 4.2-mile Utah Lake Shoreline Trail. The surrounding mountain scenery works year-round, but winter brings ice stacks that wash up on the shore.
Koosharem
Fish Lake sits east of Koosharem in Sevier County and is Utah’s largest natural alpine lake. The clear water below is full of trophy-sized fish. Mackinaw trout in the 30-pound range are not uncommon. A paved walking and biking path circles the shore. Koosharem itself is small on accommodations, but Fish Lake Lodge and Lakeside Resort offer overnight stays plus kayak and pontoon rentals. Bring a wetsuit if you plan to get in. Fish Lake sits 8,848 feet above sea level and summer water temperatures average 53 to 56° Fahrenheit.
The Paiute ATV Trail System and Great Western Trail both connect to nearby campgrounds and trailheads. The Pando Clone, the world’s largest living organism by mass, sits 2.4 miles from Fish Lake Lodge on Highway 25. Autumn turns the aspens bright yellow.
Hurricane
Sand Hollow State Park sits surrounded by red sandstone rock and volcanic mesas, with brilliant blue water and soft sand that pulls in visitors from all over. It handles paddleboards and pretty much anything else that floats. Jet skis and speedboats fly across the lake on summer afternoons. South and east of the reservoir, thousands of acres of red sand dunes keep the OHV crowd happy. Matt’s Off-Road Games run here every March and pull more visitors into the rapidly growing town of Hurricane.
Beachside, lakeside, and group campsites can be reserved at Sand Hollow. The area is dense with vacation rentals plus hotels and resorts ranging from the budget Hurricane Hideaway to the upscale Sand Hollow Resort, which has an on-site Championship Course, a Links Course, and a driving range. Families head to Jellystone Park Camp Resort for a ropes course for older kids and gem mining for the little ones.
Gunlock
Southern Utah’s red rock, desert evergreens, and black volcanic rock are all on display in Gunlock, an unincorporated town near St. George. The small lake town runs year-round. Spring brings waterfalls cascading over sandstone formations into Gunlock Reservoir when the Santa Clara River runs full from rain and runoff. Summer brings warm-water swimmers and boaters and the annual Gunlock Rodeo over the Fourth of July. Riders looking for tamer horses can book a guided riverside trip at Eagle Mountain Ranch. The Vortex Trail (aka The Bowl) hikes better in fall or winter when temperatures drop. A mild winter climate means boating and fishing stay open and the lakeside campground gives access to dark skies.
Bullfrog
Straddling the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell looks more like an aquatic scribble on a map than a typical lake. It has dozens of fingerlike red-rock canyons where boaters can explore caves and corners. Some are so narrow only a paddle gets through. Motors are too big.
On the Utah side, visitors lounge on the sandy beaches at Bullfrog Bay or launch from Bullfrog Marina inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The area was developed in the 1960s to support tourism after Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell. Defiance House Lodge offers easy access to water skiing, wakeboarding, fishing, and on-land activities. Some rooms look out on Lake Powell and the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef National Park beyond. Houseboat rentals are available for visitors who want the full lake-life experience.
Launch Into Lake Life
From the freshwater of Bear Lake to the saline Great Salt Lake and the desert oasis of Lake Powell, Utah has plenty of unique bodies of water and lake towns to match. Plan a getaway or start looking for a home in one of the ten towns above.
