Business hopes to capture Moab-bound travelers through area
Construction is well underway at the Castle Gate RV Park, just south of Helper on Spring Glen Road.
Completion of this 12.5-acre site is scheduled for the spring 2019.
When finished it will have “106 camping spaces, 86 RV sites, 8 tent sites and 12 cabins,” said Jason Alderson of JMP Contracting.
Each site will have its own picnic table and fire pit. In addition, there will be a kids playground, a waterpark and access to Price River with kayaks and inner tubes.
“A pavilion for group meetings, restrooms in the main building and a satellite bathhouse with six showers,” said Tom Lund, owner and developer of the project. “Access to cable, very robust wifi, the latest technology, propane tanks, a camping store with t- shirts and hats,” he added.
Nelco Contractors is doing the civil utilities. Foreman Henry Sanchez said he’s been “working on the property for about three months. We’re doing deep utilities first, sewer, water, then we’ll come back with shallow utilities, communications, power,” he said. “Then the finishing work, landscaping, roads,” he concluded.
Although the campground will be built to KOA standards, it will be affiliated with Good Sam, a subsidiary of Camping World.
“Good Sam rates RV parks and has nearly 2 million members. It will give people honest expectations of what to expect,” Lund said. “There’s a website Castle Gate RV Park, that will begin taking reservations in a couple of months,” he added.
Lund talked about his vision for the RV park.
“The goal has always been to build tourism in the area, 1,000 RVs pass by everyday. If we could just get 10 percent of them to stop by, there’s so much beauty and recreation here, there’s no reason to go to Moab,” he said. “I believe a large number of people would rather recreate in Helper.”
He believes the area could attract millenials from “Silicon Slopes.”
He also plans to network with local owners of ATVs and side by sides.
“Locals who like to ride and tell stories, it’s an opportunity for the retired to take out campers, make a few bucks and get a free lunch,” he said. “This will benefit the locals, those visiting the area and diversify our economic base,” he said.