Year-round, Mount Spokane is an integral part of the Inland Northwest's outdoor scene. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the winter cold by skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and snowman-building.
Bordering Mount Spokane State Park, Bear Creek has been a popular winter-time destination for over 70 years. While privately owned, Bear Creek has long had an agreement with Washington State Parks, allowing part of the property to be used for Mt. Spokane's trail system.
In 2023, Bear Creek was put up for sale. Rex Schultz, community engagement manager for Washington State Parks, says Bear Creek was part of a long-term plan identifying private properties adjacent to public parklands that the state would be interested in buying if they ever became available.
This was especially the case for Bear Creek, as it is integral to Mount Spokane's hiking, mountain biking and snowmobile trails. Now, State Parks has bought all 120 acres of Bear Creek Lodge property, including the historic lodge and tubing hill. Shultz says the purchase was made to protect the trail system in perpetuity.
It's also part of a plan for the future development of Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park.
In June, Washington State Parks held a public outreach event to hear community input on what they'd like to see the mountain become in the next 20 years. The general public, along with stakeholders involved in Mount Spokane (Spokane Nordic, Washington Trails Association, Backcountry Horsemen and others), attended to express their interests.
After receiving community input, State Parks compiled the information and formed a focus group.
"We wanted to focus down this wide range of ideas that we got from the first public meeting into digestible pieces of information that we can formulate into a long-term plan," Shultz says.
The next step is a "working document" that they can bring to the public in late spring or early summer.
Shultz expressed the importance of balancing public interests, tribal input and protection of wildlife habitat for State Parks' overall mission and how they plan for the future of Mount Spokane specifically.
"We are going through a very thorough process to make the best decision for a really special piece of property going forward," he says.
The Bear Creek tubing hill will be closed for the foreseeable future as it is "brought back up to standard." Shultz reassures that it is a feature many people expressed interest in keeping.
Any community members interested in the future of Mount Spokane can learn more on the projects page on parks.wa.gov. There will be regular updates on the plan, as well as community involvement opportunities to make your voice heard on Mount Spokane's future. ♦
