It boasts scenery similar to the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, with the added conveniences of road access, modern facilities, and motorboating.

[4] The strong showing was credited to the online fan community of mother and cub black bears, featured on a popular webcam, whose territory included the park.

The park is located 6 miles south of the junction of State Highway 169 (MN 169) and County Road 128 in Eagles Nest Township.

213-acre (86 ha) Grassy Lake straddles the eastern boundary, with 1.2 miles (1.9 km) of shoreline within the park; a quarter of its total.

The last glacial period from 12,000 to 10,000 years ago deposited stony till only about 4 feet (1.2 m) thick, as well as the Walston and Vermillion moraines.

These two terminal moraines were formed at different periods of the glacier's retreat, leaving thick ridges of sandy debris across the landscape.

[5]: 28 Bear Head Lake State Park is mostly forested, with several different plant communities based on soil and location.

[5]: 46 Less-wooded shrub swamps are composed of speckled alder, red osier dogwood, and willow, with an understory of meadowsweet, leatherleaf, and heath.

The shrub layer varies inversely with the density of the canopy, and comprises beaked hazel, juneberry, blueberry, and bush honeysuckle.

Beaked hazel dominates the dense shrub layer, while ground cover is characterized by bracken fern and forbs such as largeleaf aster and sarsaparilla.

Beaked hazel and mountain maple comprise the modest shrub layer, while the ground cover is more litter and grasses than forbs.

[5]: 56  Other notable residents include the red-breasted nuthatch, pine grosbeak, red crossbill, and boreal chickadee.

The aspen–birch community supports ovenbirds, red-eyed vireos, veeries, ruffed grouse, black-capped chickadees, least flycatchers, and black-throated green warblers.

The most common overwinterers are black-capped chickadees, gray jays, pine grosbeaks, and hairy and downy woodpeckers.

[5]: 57  Specific to the pine forests are Blackburnian warblers, hermit thrushes, eastern wood pewees, golden-crowned kinglets, brown creepers, and red-breasted nuthatches.

Water birds include the loon, great blue heron, common merganser, spotted sandpiper, and herring gull.

[5]: 76  European fur traders entered the region in the late 18th century, building economic ties with the local Native Americans.

In 1959 two officials from the Division of Forestry were inspecting a new road to Bear Head Lake and were impressed with its potential as a state park.

Iron Range congressmen introduced a bill in February 1961, the Minnesota Legislature passed it unanimously, and Governor Elmer L. Andersen signed it into law in April.

More than 5.7 million votes were tallied in the contest sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company's Live Positively charitable campaign and the National Park Foundation.

Internet activism by Lily followers had won other online grants and contests benefiting the Ely community.

[12] Bear Head Lake State Park mixes the North Woods scenery of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) with modern access and amenities.

Bear Head is also developed with a sandy swimming beach, canoe launch, and handicapped-accessible fishing pier.