Historic Road Creek Inn reopens as the Capitol Reef field station; now available for rental groups

Road Creek Inn, located near Capitol Reef National Park, Fishlake National Forest, Canyonlands National Park and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, is an historic hotel in Loa that now serves as Southern Utah University’s Capitol Reef field station.

The hotel was completely renovated in 2012, with 15 guest rooms, large gathering areas and a full kitchen, Road Creek Inn is perfect for educational programs, family reunions, weddings, youth camps and conferences.

Now more than 100 years old, Road Creek Inn offers state-of-the-art amenities such as internet access, a sauna for relaxing after a day of hiking, in-room microwaves and refrigerators, standard king and queen rooms and two deluxe suites with three king-sized beds.

SUU’s Capitol Reef field station is now open to the community for rental and to SUU student groups. The facility is surrounded by several historic Mormon pioneer towns and buildings, national parks, lakes, Native American ruins and protected forest lands, and it’s a great environment for student clubs and large groups to get away to another of Utah’s phenomenal outdoor activities. St. George News

Developers transforming train ‘junkyard’ into ‘railroad suites’

People traveling through the south end of Mt. Pleasant will notice a collection of train cars just off Main Street west of the city park. In a year, the boxcars will be transformed and will be in use as motel suites. The plan began to take more shape last weekend as several of the 37-ton boxcars were lifted into place by a crane along a segment of railroad track that had been installed earlier as their new home.

Developers point to a similar project they’ve worked on for several years. They also developed Track 89, a railcar motel near Big Rock Candy Mountain in Marysvale Canyon south of Richfield. The project is a public-private partnership. Its location makes sense: adjacent to what is known as the old railroad depot, which features a historic caboose and historic station that has been repurposed as an information center and merchant shop.

The city contributed several thousands of dollars to the recent renovation of the depot station, which opened last June as Heartfelt Hobby and Craft. The store will be the registration and check-in facility for Track 89 North during the day. After-hours registration, as well as housecleaning service, will be provided through an arrangement with Horseshoe Mountain Lodge across the street. Sanpete Messenger

Project on state trust lands not subject to local zoning

A state judge has invalidated a conditional-use permit Wayne County officials issued for a gravel pit on state trust lands on the edge of Teasdale, raising new questions on how much say local governments have over projects authorized by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration.

The county last year approved a gravel pit on part of a 120-acre SITLA parcel just upwind from Torrey, the artsy gateway to Capitol Reef National Park, in an area zoned for agriculture and low-density residential. The move outraged some residents, who took the dispute to court.

Judge George Harmond ruled that state-owned land is exempt from county zoning rules, so Wayne County properly declined to "rezone" the parcel in question. At the same time, Harmond said in his ruling the conditional-use permit issued to Brown Brothers Construction to operate the pit is not valid — since such permits are premised on a zoning designation. Salt Lake Tribune

Gravel pit proposal rocks Teasdale

Utah trust lands officials plan to authorize a gravel pit just east of the Wayne County hamlet Teasdale, but many nearby residents contend such a use is a poor fit in an area famed for its bucolic and red-rock vistas, potentially undermining its ability to attract visitors and support agriculture.

The proposal has sparked a lively debate on social media, and critics and supporters of the project are expected to converge at a planning commission hearing Wednesday night in Loa, where commissioners are weighing a zoning change that would allow industrial uses in the scenic area largely devoted to livestock and alfalfa operations.

Brown Brothers Construction Co., which has operated a gravel pit on state land near Loa for decades, recently approached SITLA about leasing an L-shaped 120-acre parcel not far from the river, south of State Route 24. Brown wants to work 30 acres off the Teasdale Bench Road. SITLA would charge annual rent of $1,200 and a royalty of 70 cents per cubic yard of material removed. Salt Lake Tribune

Railroad resort brings Sevier railroad past to life

The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad is being resurrected in an unusual way in the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. Partners David Grow and George Jones of Environetics have built a caboose and railroad village at Big Rock Candy Mountain, north of Marysvale in Piute County.

After several years of planning, last year the pair opened the Track 89 Caboose Village Resort at Big Rock Candy Mountain with three railroad cars. This year, they have seven and next year they hope to have 10. The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area recently awarded the project a $25,000 grant for landscaping and parking. In February they received a 50-year lease for the old Denver and Rio Grande Depot from the city of Mt. Pleasant to build a similar resort there. Sanpete Pyramid

Mt. Pleasant approves lease for railroad resort

The city council in Mt. Pleasant approved a 50-year lease of city property to Environetics for a railroad resort where the 1891 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot now stands. Environetics wants to provide a place for people who don’t go to the mountains on their ATVs or snowmobiles, who just want comfortable and interesting accommodations. They plan to use 11 to 18 cars and cabooses placed on railroad track, all completely remodeled and renovated to very nice interiors with an antique flair. Sanpete Messenger

Sevier County hits record year for tourism

For the first time ever, Sevier County brought in more than $500,000 in transient room tax — marking a 15 percent increase from 2014. This means approximately $12 million was spent on hotel rooms in Sevier County in 2015, resulting in a 52 percent occupancy rate. Richfield Reaper

Wildfires threaten summer Rocky Mountain tourism

Searing, record-setting heat in the interior West didn't loosen its grip on firefighters struggling to contain blazes in Colorado, Utah and other Rocky Mountain states.

Colorado has endured nearly a week of 100-plus degree days and low humidity, sapping moisture from timber and grass, creating a devastating formula for volatile wildfires across the state and punishing conditions for firefighters.

"When it's that hot, it just dries the fuels even more. That can make the fuels explosive," said Steve Segin, a fire spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Much of Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado are under a red flag warning, meaning conditions are hot, dry and ripe for fires. CBS News

Thousands expected at Little Sahara Sand Dunes for Easter weekend

Thousands of people from around the state are gearing up for an Easter weekend at the Little Sahara Sand Dunes, and local law enforcement is prepared to prevent potential problems and accidents.

Many of them are already there, saving a place for family and friends before the big crowds get here. By Friday night, 25,000 to 30,000 people will be at the popular Sand Mountain camping area in Millard County.

With nearly 60,000 acres of dunes, trails and sagebrush flats, there is something for every level of rider, from Sand Mountain, which has a wall of sand climbing nearly 700 feet high, to the dunes southwest of Black Mountain, which provide good terrain for beginners. Deseret News

Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree brings in tourism dollars to central Utah

The Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree recently kicked off its 19th year. This year, the weeklong event drew nearly 450 registered riders and passengers to the area, according to Kevin Arrington, director of Sevier County Tourism and Events. Richfield Reaper

Big Rock Candy Mountain trying to become destination point

The legendary Big Rock Candy Mountain in Piute County will soon have more to offer than rocks that look like nougat with caramel ribbons running through them and a quaint rock shop. The plans for the future include creating a railroad resort with boxcars and cabooses for guest stays, a new multipurpose trailhead, a new raft launch and guest amenities featuring the famed Lemonade Springs and ponderosa trees.es at the resort will be single occupancy motel rooms.

Local agency employees have been cooperatively seeking funds and direction from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program to put the area more conveniently on the map for cyclists, hikers, river rafters and tourists. They now have money for the Candy Mountain Whistle Stop Trailhead development, a multipurpose trailhead in the narrow canyon bottom between the Sevier River and the highway.

The plan includes new parking lots, a raft launch ramp, a picnic area with shade trees, public restrooms and informational kiosks, paid for with grants from the Sevier County Office of Travel and Tourism, the Utah State Parks Association and the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area/Scenic Canyon Preservation Society.

Developers and brothers David and Steven Grow are working to create a Track 89 Resort Village to complement the new trailhead. They donated the two acres for the Whistle Stop Trailhead and plan to upgrade and position a number of converted boxcars and luxury caboose cars that will available for overnight and daily rental by June 2012. Deseret News

Sundance rebounds, Utah movie industry on the rise

The Sundance Film Festival is bouncing back from a two-year economic downturn, and the head of the Utah Film Commission said the state has seen an upturn in the film business in recent months.

“Our projections are the overnight attendance for the festival will be up 12 percent this year over last year,” said Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Malone. “It’s not just on the front end or the back end, it’s an increase in visitation every day of the festival.” This comes after Sundance business took a hit in 2009 and 2010 because of the struggling economy.

For his part, Utah Film Commission Director Marshall Moore described an uptick of another kind.

“Not only are we the host state of the Sundance Film Festival, we hosted 25 film and television productions” in 2010, Moore said. The list includes “127 Hours” and the upcoming movies “John Carter of Mars,” “Darling Companion,” “The Age of Dragons” and “Unicorn City.”

“Overall, the film industry in the state of Utah is healthy. We had our best year ever last year,” said Moore. Movie and TV productions brought the state “over a thousand jobs last year, and over a $50 million impact for the state of Utah.”

He said that was especially true in rural Utah, “where much of the economic impact took place. Although a lot of it does take place in Salt Lake, we saw it in areas like Moab and Kanab and Delta and Hanksville. More than we’d seen in any other single year since I’ve been the director of the film commission.” Salt Lake Tribune

Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area working to attract more visitors

The director of a heritage area association in central Utah wants to raise the organization’s profile and increase tourism within its boundaries.“We’ve got a lot of brick and mortar work going on,” said Monte Bona, director of the Heritage Highway Alliance, which manages the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. “Concurrent with that, we need to work on our interpretive mission.” In other words, Bona is getting the word out about what the heritage area can offer visitors, so they will take advantage of the area’s historical treasures.

An example is the interpretive center in Escalante, which is completing its first phase of construction, which includes signage, building infrastructure and a mural. The MPNHA contributed $100,000 toward the center’s completion.

The alliance also contributed $50,000 toward the heritage garden being developed in Manti across the highway from the Manti Temple and helped secure a $190,000 earmark from Senator Bob Bennett for the project.Bona hopes to see interpretive centers at Big Rock Candy Mountain in Sevier County and possibly nearby Marysvale. He also says the alliance may soon fund two interpretive trails within the MPNHA, although he did not want to reveal the details before the deal is inked. Sanpete Messenger