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Where? Bear Lake
When? 5/23/18
How far from Dick’s Hamburgers (Downtown Spokane) About 20 miles, 35 minutes.
Why SUP there?
It’s great for kids or beginners.
It’s quiet and there’s plenty of water for everyone.
It’s free to park and to access the lake.
It’s dog friendly.
There is a nice area for picnicking.
Overview: Due to the strong current on the river, this was the 2nd lake we traveled to for an early season SUP ride. We were threatened by thunder and lightning on this trip, but we were able to stick it out long enough to get our fix for another SUP ride. My good buddy JD joined me for this outing.
Where we parked and launched: Follow My Get Out Spokane Map to Bear Lake. You will find a large parking lot in which you can park for free. The boat launch is below the parking lot and you can pretty much launch any place along the shore.
Bear Lake in late spring. It was a stormy day and we actually had to call it quits early to avoid a lightning strike.
Often my paddle boarding companion, JD.
Lots of trees, bushes and other foliage.
what we saw
what we saw
The small lake is warm enough in May to jump in and cool off, although the water quality appeared questionable so we opted not to jump in. If it was sunny and hotter, we may have considered it. As with Fish Lake, there was little boat traffic and we felt like we had the lake pretty much to ourselves.
bottom line
bottom line
As with Fish Lake, Bear Lake is great for the beginning paddle boarder, for a family SUP ride, or to simply enjoy a quiet cruise on a local lake. It made for an excellent second ride of the year, even with the questionable weather! If you want to picnic beforehand or afterward, there are plenty of picnic tables.
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