Welcome to the BearCat Lodge in Seneca, Oregon

Nestled in the Bear Valley at the foot of the Strawberry and Aldrich Mountains is one of Oregon’s true four-season resorts. Built in 1939 by the Edward Hines Lumber Company as a boarding house to accommodate Hines’ bachelor loggers, the newly remodeled BearCat Lodge features amenities not commonly found in remote eastern Oregon.

Activities Abound

Just outside the Lodge’s back door you can enjoy a round of golf at the OGA-rated Bear Valley Meadows, a truly challenging links course. In the fall hunters from all over the country gather to experience the area’s world-class elk, deer and antelope hunting. For those who prefer to take their prey with a camera, a photo safari provides the perfect opportunity to capture the area’s unparalleled natural beauty. If you love shooting sports, but prefer clay targets, the Grant County Gun Club—featuring trap, skeet and sporting clays, as well as a rifle and pistol range—is less that three minutes from the Lodge. And if you’d like to sharpen your clay shooting skills, Lodge proprietor J.W. Everitt is a certified NSCA instructor.

Winter Activities

As the snow deepens, winter sports enthusiasts flock to the area to enjoy snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. Additional recreational opportunities arrive with the warmer weather in spring and summer. The area boasts hundreds of miles of forest roads, off-road ATV trails and hiking trails. These routes provide convenient access to mushroom hunting, wild flower identification trips, rock hounding and bird watching. A short fifteen minute drive in any direction will take you to lakes, rivers and clear mountain streams teaming with native species and top-notch fishing.

Two Wheeled Adventure

For those who prefer adventure on two wheels, this area of Oregon is noted for its spectacular motorcycling, mountain biking and bicycle touring, with literally hundreds of miles of well-maintained roads, both paved and unpaved. The Lodge has plenty of storage space for your favorite means of transportation. Be sure to ask us to send you one of our comprehensive cycling maps for the area.

Indoor Activities

If you prefer indoor activities, you can curl up in front of the fireplace in our 1600 square foot great room with a good book. Or, enjoy watching a movie on our high definition big screen satellite TV. The Lodge is also WiFi equipped if you just can’t leave your computer at home. The Lodge will soon boast a private recording studio, and shortly thereafter, its own FM radio station.

Evening Entertainment

Evenings at the BearCat Lodge are always enjoyable, and often feature informal concerts by well-known artists who are passing through the area. JW Everitt, an outstanding professional musician in his own right, invites his friends to stop and enjoy his hospitality, and is planning a house concert series for the near future. You can get acquainted with the resident bobcats Big and Bob and our other guests, or just bask in the quite beauty of an eastern Oregon sunset.

Your Home Away from Home

The Lodge is also an excellent base from which to explore some of central Oregon’s other attractions, such as the John Day fossil beds, Kam Wah Chung Museum and old gold mining towns in Grant County, or Glass Buttes and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County.

Come Stay with Us

So, get away from the hubbub and crowds in better-known places and come enjoy the charm of a truly unique treasure in one of the most naturally beautiful places in Oregon. Getting here is easy. BearCat Lodge is located in Seneca, on Highway 395, just 25 miles south of John Day and 45 miles north of Burns. Call hosts JW Everitt or Carol L. Chaffee for reservations. 541-542-2020