History:

Bear River State Park was established in 1991 and was named after the river that runs through it. Trappers called it the “Bear River” because of the many bears that frequented the area. Tribal people of the area named the river “Quee-ya-paw” for a tobacco root that grew along its banks. Native Tribes and trappers often held rendezvous in the area, including one in 1825 near Burnt Fork, just 50 miles southeast of the park.

The park includes 324 acres with 1.2 miles of paved trails, an arched footbridge that crosses the Bear River allowing access to a natural area with another 3.0+ miles of packed gravel trails on the west side of the river. The 1.2 miles of paved trail is connected to the Bear River Greenway offered by the City of Evanston, where another mile of paved trail allows visitors to easily gain access to the ice ponds, Bear River Pavilion, the Memorial Tree Grove, Bear Tails Fire Circle and downtown Evanston. Uinta County property located to the southeast of the park, offers multiple trails for mountain biking including a pump track. The trails are also great for hiking and wildlife watching.

Bear River State Park features a captive herd of bison and elk kept for public viewing and education. The elk have called Bear River State Park home since April 1,1995. To lessen fighting and to eliminate the potential for offspring, we only keep bulls on the park. The two original elk that came to the park are on display at the Visitor Center. Our bison have been a part of the park since the park opened. Our herd consists of a mixed aged group of females, or cows, and at least one male, or bull. Due to the limited amount of pasture available, the park maintains its herd at 10 - 12 adult animals. Generally in April and May is when the cows will start calving. The park keep our calves at Bear River State Park until they are old enough to take care of themselves. The bison are rotated through two pastures to allow the grass to rejuvinate, regrow and better utilize the available forage. Typically the bison are moved to the east pasture in mid to late May, and then returned to the lower northwest pasture in late August.