Washington State Parks purchases Bear Creek Lodge property

A property east of Mead that has long been home to a rustic lodge and a snow tubing hill is now a part of Mount Spokane State Park.

Washington State Parks has purchased the Bear Creek Lodge property on the edge of the state park’s border along Washington State Route 206.

The $3.1 million purchase includes two parcels totaling 110 acres, the three-story lodge and restaurant, a campground and the lodge’s rope-tow snow tubing hill.

Lara Gricar, the Inland Northwest region manager for Washington State Parks, said in an email that the sale was finalized in September, when the lodge closed. The transfer of ownership was delayed until November to give the previous owners – the Deal family – time to vacate.

For now, the tubing hill, campground and the lodge will be closed to the public while state park officials make plans for the future. Gricar said the agency is “in the early stages of this project and will have more information about next steps and tentative timelines in the coming months.”

Gricar said the property will help protect and maintain the state park’s trail network, add much-needed parking capacity – particularly in the winter or during huckleberry season – and allow the agency to consider creating a hub for a shuttle service up the mountain.

“We’re also excited about the opportunity to improve the overall connectivity to the entrance of the park,” Gricar said. “We will be looking at opportunities to create a welcome center with partners with easier access and ample parking.”

Jeff Gibson, president of the board of Friends of Mount Spokane, echoed the point about parking in an email, saying the increase in outdoor recreation since the COVID-19 pandemic has led to bigger parking problems on the mountain.

“Having the large parking capacity that Bear Creek offers will really help take the pressure off the parking up the mountain, especially if a shuttle service is added,” Gibson said.

Bear Creek Lodge has a long history, going back to 1952, when it was opened by John Linder. The project came not long after the first chairlift was installed on Mount Spokane.

The lodge’s website says it was the “widest span wood structure west of the Mississippi” at the time. Linder eventually installed a rope tow near the lodge, and lights for night skiing.

The Linders held onto the lodge until 1978. It reopened in 1984 as Kirk’s Lodge, and continued to operate under that name until 1996.

After that, the business went through three owners in quick succession. Sam Deal purchased it in 2002, and kept the name given by the most recent owner: Bear Creek Lodge.

From the outside, the building looks like it hasn’t changed since 1952. Inside, it’s a different story. Old dormitory-style rooms were turned into hotel rooms complete with three-fourths bathrooms – the lodge website says it had 15 rooms in service with a sleeping capacity of 42.

Deal also added an outdoor garden and deck, creating space to hold weddings in the summer. Sites in the campground were made larger, and firepits were added.

Efforts to reach Deal were unsuccessful Tuesday. The lodge’s website has a retirement message from him, posted in September.

“It has been a long run since my family arrived in November, 2002 (as the fourth owners in an eight year period) to stabilize the business,” the message reads.

Deal wrote that the family had worked hard to update the old lodge from the first day they owned it, writing that it required “extensive repairs/restoration” but that the family wanted to maintain the building’s cabin-like feel.

“That goal was achieved, and the foundation is in place for the next chapter of Bear Creek Lodge,” the message reads. “Is it perfect? No! Is it done? No! But it is better than when we arrived.”

The money for the purchase came from Washington’s Recreation and Conservation Office and an account for parkland acquisition.

Gricar said state parks is trying to fund assessments of the integrity of the building and whether it meets fire codes, ADA standards and other requirements.

The work will help them figure out what it would cost to run the lodge in the future, and inform their plans. Gricar said the public will have a chance to provide input throughout the process, but didn’t have a specific timeline for when more information would be available.

Though camping and snow tubing will be closed through the winter, the snowmobile parking lot on the lodge’s northeast side remain open to the public. A Sno-Park permit is required. Trails 120, 140 and 170 will also remain open and will be groomed.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Dec. 19 to correct the year that Sam Deal purchased the property. He purchased the property in 2002.