Basketball Court Contractor at Bear Lake, UT
Two things define a court at Bear Lake: the slope that gives you the view is also the problem, and the season for painting one is short. Both have to be planned for rather than discovered.
A short window for paint
It stays cold up here for most of the year. Court acrylic needs warmth to dry between coats, and above the lake you get that from late spring to late summer and not much either side of it.
That is the constraint that sets the schedule. A court here has to be finished before the cold arrives, which means starting earlier than you would in the valley.
Levelling a mountainside
Getting a court flat enough to drain properly on a slope means moving a great deal of dirt. Building the pad up does not spoil the view — it usually improves it.
This is also a long way from our yard, which is worth saying plainly: it is a trip, and it needs planning around the season rather than fitted in.
Fencing on a slope is not decoration
Without it you spend the afternoon walking downhill after the ball. Black vinyl chain link sits against the view far better than galvanised and leaves the court looking finished.
Height is worth thinking about: four feet is about the minimum worth having for pickleball, ten feet behind a hoop keeps basketballs in, and ten feet right round a court perched next to a drop is what actually stops the chasing.
Equipment for a court the family shares
A 72-inch glass backboard on an adjustable mount lets the hoop come down while children are learning, on a padded base.
A roll-away net suits a court that gets switched between pickleball and basketball often — it pushes aside rather than coming out of sleeves.
Our work in Bear Lake
Bear Lake Multi-Sport Court
The view is the reason anyone builds up here, and the slope that gives you the view is the problem. Getting a court flat enough to drain properly on a mountainside above Bear Lake meant moving a great deal of dirt — and building the pad up only improved what you are looking at while you play. Bear Lake is a long way from where we are based, and the season up there is shorter than it is in the valley. Paint needs warmth to dry between coats, and above the lake you get that from late spring to late summer and not much either side of it. This one was finished just before the cold set in. The owner made the right call on fencing. On a slope that is not decoration — without it you spend the afternoon walking downhill after the ball. Black vinyl chain link runs around the court; it sits against the view far better than galvanised and leaves the whole thing looking finished. Height is worth thinking about: four feet is about the minimum worth having for pickleball, ten feet behind a hoop keeps basketballs in, and ten feet right round a court perched next to a drop is what actually stops the chasing. A sky blue surround with navy zones and a light grey kitchen, white lines for pickleball and a minimal free-throw mark for basketball. The hoop is a Dominator 72-inch glass backboard on an adjustable mount, so it can come down while the kids are still learning, on a padded base. The net rolls away — which suits a court that gets switched between the two sports often.
Questions we get asked in Bear Lake
When can a court be built at Bear Lake?
Late spring to late summer, realistically. Paint needs warmth to cure between coats and the season up here is short at both ends.
Do I need fencing on a sloped court?
If there is any fall beyond the court, yes. It is the difference between playing and walking downhill after the ball. The ends matter most.
Do you travel to Bear Lake?
Yes. It is a long way from our base, so the job gets planned around the trip and around the season rather than squeezed in.
Can you do anything up here in winter?
Court surfacing, no — acrylic needs summer heat to cure between coats, and up here that window is shorter than it is in the valley. Everything that is not paint-dependent we do take on year round, conditions allowing: decking, railings, fencing, stonework and tile courts, which go down in any weather because the lines come pre-painted.