Dec. 20—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.