Group readies Dog Beach for Long Bridge Swim

SANDPOINT — Ready. Set. Swim.

To get to the latter, it takes local volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to get the area around Dog Beach ready to serve as the landing spot after the two-mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille.

As part of the annual cleanup, volunteers cut down overgrowth, trim trees and move logs and other lake debris out of the way of swimmers to ensure they can exit the lake safely at the end of the 2026 Long Bridge Swim.

"We really appreciate their hard work," said the swim's Karen McClelland.

Church members first got involved with cleaning up Dog Beach in 2023 when members of the church's youth group started looking for a way to help the community. Knowing of the swim, group members approached Long Bridge Swim officials to see if there was anything they could do.

The group's cleanup efforts significantly improve both accessibility at the beach and the vibe of the swim, organizers have said.

The 29th Long Bridge Swim is being held today. The annual swim across the lake attracts hundreds of swimmers each year for the annual swim from the Sagle side of the Long Bridge to Dog Beach.

Swim-day packets can be picked up from 6:30-7:30 a.m. at Sandpoint High School, 410 S. Division Ave. All swimmers must be registered, checked in and be ready to go by the mandatory safety meeting at 8 a.m.

Following the meeting, swimmers will be shuttled to the swim's starting point at the south end of the Long Bridge. Water-start swimmers will load on the first eight buses; land-start swimmers will be on the remaining buses.

The Long Bridge Swim’s swim lesson initiative provides swim lessons to all third-grade classes in Bonner County emphasizing water safety.