Bear Lake Monster Winterfest 2025: Isabella’s Big Bash

Logo of Bear Lake Monster Winterfest depicting 'Isabella', Bear Lake's monster, wearing black sunglasses.

Listen up, thrill-seekers and monster enthusiasts! Our favorite local celebrity, Isabella (you know, the totally-real, definitely-not-made-up Bear Lake Monster), is emerging from her cozy underwater lair for her annual winter extravaganza. That’s right โ€“ Bear Lake Monster Winterfest is back for 2025, and it’s going to be more legendary than Isabella’s infamous 1868 synchronized swimming routine.

The When, Where, and What-in-the-World

Mark your calendars for January 24-25, 2025, because Isabella’s got a packed schedule of monstrous merriment planned across Logan Canyon, Sunrise Resort & Event Center, Utah Bear Lake State Park Marina, and Cisco Beach. And no, she didn’t choose multiple locations just to keep us guessing about where she’ll pop up next (but also, maybe she did).

Six people jumping off the dock into Bear Lake in the winter.  One of the people is wearing a bird costume.

Friday: The Warm-Up Act

Isabella kicks things off with what she calls her “appetizer day” (yes, she’s been working on her festival-hosting lingo):

  • Monster Winter Sports & Trails Day: Where mere mortals can attempt to outshred a lake monster on fat-tire bikes, snowshoes, snowmobiles, and tubes. (Spoiler: You can’t, she’s had centuries of practice)
  • Monster Taste of Bear Lake: A local culinary adventure that proves even mythical creatures have refined palates
  • Monster Winterfest Social: Because even lake monsters need to network (LinkedIn profile: “Professional Lake Dweller since 1868”)
Two children in costumes trying to paddle home made boats made from cardboard.

Saturday: The Main Event

This is where Isabella really lets her fins down:

  • Monster Cisco Disco & Fishing Tournament: The only fishing tournament where the judge might be eyeing your catch for her own lunch. Don’t worry, she’s promised to behave.
  • Winterfest Village Market & Food Trucks: Isabella insisted on food trucks after discovering street tacos last year. Who knew lake monsters were foodies?
  • Monster Plunge: Your chance to visit Isabella in her natural habitat! She promises the water’s “perfectly fine” (Note: Her definition of “perfectly fine” may differ from yours)
  • Monster 5K Run/Walk: Fun fact – Isabella holds the course record, but she was disqualified for using underwater shortcuts
  • Monster Chili Cook-off: Warning – Isabella’s been practicing her own recipe. Something about “deep lake aromatics”
  • Monster Cardboard Boat Regatta: Where engineering dreams meet their watery doom. Isabella swears she won’t create any suspicious waves this year
  • Monster Raffle: Because who doesn’t want to win prizes from a lake monster’s treasure collection

The Legend Behind the Festival

While some might call Isabella a myth, we at Bear Lake Luxury Rentals know better. She’s been the lake’s most notorious resident since the 19th century, when John C. Rich first documented her existence (though he later claimed it was “in jest” โ€“ clearly under pressure from the Monster Privacy Protection Agency).

The most recent officially recorded sighting was in 2002, though we have it on good authority that she’s been photobombing tourist photos ever since. In 1996, local school children gave her the name “Isabella,” which she accepted graciously (after vetoing their first choice, “Splashy McSplashface”).

Black Timber Lodge's family room, open to above, with a stone fireplace, and deer antlers on the wall.

Where to Stay: The Ultimate Monster View

Want the full Isabella experience? Book your stay with Bear Lake Luxury Rentals โ€“ the only luxury rentals in Bear Lake that comes with potential monster-spotting opportunities. Isabella has given it her official seal of approval (we’re still cleaning up the seaweed from the certification ceremony).

Chocolate and vanilla cakes, with other baked desert goods on a table.

Ready to Join the Monster Madness?

Book your stay now for Winterfest 2025. Not only will you have front-row seats to all the festivities, but you might just catch Isabella practicing her Cisco Disco moves under the moonlight.

Disclaimer: Bear Lake Luxury Rentals cannot guarantee actual monster sightings, but we can guarantee monstrous amounts of fun. Isabella’s appearances are subject to her mood, the water temperature, and how many chili samples she’s judged that day.

Ready to experience the legend yourself? Book now to reserve your preferred luxury property.

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