CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Zion Utah in Hurricane is part of the newly developed Gateway to Sand Hollow public development project, which will provide specific improvements to this location. The resort bears the iconic Yogi Bear trademarked property as part of its official name.
The timing for the park’s proposed grand opening on July 3 was set to coincide with the new PID; however, because of circumstances beyond park developers’ control, they’re now aiming to open the first phase in late or early fall.
“Things are cruising,” owner Scott Nielson said.
Nielson said progress on the resort is going smoothly. Phase one is shaped like a laid-down boot and includes commercial pads for waterpark overflow parking, Yogi Bear Boulevard, the resort’s landscaping and entrance, four lanes going into the security gate, the check-in area, the ranger station and much more.
The first phase of Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Zion Utah will include 11 rental cabins. Ten of those will be 840-square-foot Yogi Bear Cabins that have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a Skydeck. The BooBoo, a modern, one-bedroom cabin, will also be available along with 74 campsites.
“So, a total of 85 sites in phase one, and 99% of all the amenities will be finished,” Nielson said. “The lagoon, the private beach, the aqua trikes, kayak rentals, the pavilions, the concessions, jump pillows, sports courts, pickleball, basketball, gaga ball, corn hole, ping pong, ladder toss and horseshoes will all be completed in addition to the water zone in phase one.”
Recently, the 700-linear-foot lazy river has been added, and construction began on Critter Island. Critter Island will soon house a giant rattlesnake, a scorpion, a horny toad, a coyote, a Gila monster and other desert critters. Eight canopies will be available for rent on Critter Island, and 16 private cabanas will be available on the mainland.
“They’ll have animatronics and sound and water interaction,” Nielson said about Critter Island. “As you go around the lazy river, the snake cannons will shoot water at you, the horny toads spray water out of their mouths, the owl on the cactus will hoot, things like that.”
Also installed is the giant 80-foot-by-30-foot jump pillow. A 1.5-acre lakefront lagoon has been filled with water, and a private beach with “beautiful, filtered, silt white sand” imported from Kanab has been created. Dotting the private beach are 17-foot-tall mature palm trees.
A good portion of the resort’s three-stacked dowel fencing, a signature feature of Jellystone Park campgrounds, has been put up, giving the property a rugged outdoor effect. The large play structure designed to stay cool in the desert has been completed, the pickleball court has been painted, and other sports courts, such as basketball and gaga ball, are currently being painted.
There’s now a 40-foot-by-60-foot, two-level concrete equipment building, which houses filters and massive pumps. Nielson said the pumps screen and clean the water before circulating it back into the system.
“We’re not wasting water – we’re recycling it,” he added. “Our entire 54-acre resort uses less than 15 residential homes annually. That’s our aquatics engineering calculations. That’s everything. Less than 15 houses throughout our entire 53-acre resort.”
While progress is moving along, Nielson said they have yet to set an official open date.
“Honestly, I can’t nail down a date specifically. But as you can see from our updated videos through St. George News, progress is happening on a daily basis,” he said about the resort’s construction. “There are many variables: we’re fighting lava rock every inch of the way, and just the size of this massive project is part of the challenge.”
Nielson said delays in construction also came when the city of Hurricane required all the underground work to be completed before they would approve a building permit. That included 53 acres of underground and 10 miles of integrated piping, sewer, electrical, water, fiber internet and communication lines. Less than three months ago, the underground work was completed and he was able to obtain a building permit.
“That gives you insight on how fast this project could have been moving if the city allowed us to pull permits on day one, but that’s OK,” he said. “Hurricane City has been good to work with.”
Currently, over 100 people are on site working on 20 different micro projects within the park. Over 50 machines, including excavators, big loaders, jackhammers and blasting equipment, are being used daily.
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Zion Utah is moving forward, and Nielson anticipates being able to open soon. If for any reason there are additional delays and the park isn’t open in time to accommodate the earliest reservations, guests will have the opportunity to adjust their dates or obtain a full refund.
Nielson also expressed appreciation for the numerous pre-reservations already booked. All guests that pre-paid for their vacations will have the opportunity to either move their reservation ahead and receive a 50% discount, move their reservation ahead and choose to add additional days for free, or they may cancel for a full refund.
“We understand that your vacation is very important, and we apologize for all of your inconveniences and our delays,” he added.
To receive your reservation discount, reach out directly to [email protected]. Include your last name, dates and extension dates, and you will be contacted via email.
To cancel, send an email to [email protected] with your last name and dates reserved.
“This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done, building something for families, friends and loved ones to enjoy together,” Nielson said. “There will be something for every age, and an adventure that will have lasting memories through many generations.”
Written by JESSI BANG for St. George News.
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Resources
- Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Zion Utah | Address: 505 S. Sand Hollow Road, Hurricane | Telephone: 866-934-5267 | Website.
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