The campground, which has grown its business base by 30 percent during the past year, sees a lucrative winter market
But starting this winter, the 142-space campground with eight lodges and five rental cabins will begin marketing itself as a base camp for a different kind of visitor: Skiers bound for Telluride.
“Skiers can stay at our park for a fraction of what it can cost to stay in Telluride,” said Tom Vail, who co-manages the Black Canyon Jellystone Park with his wife, Kay.
The park’s cabins and lodges start at just $91 and $100 a night, respectively, and include kitchenettes with cooking and eating utensils, so guests can cook their own food and save on meals out.
An affordable shuttle service also passes by the park each day in the mornings and evenings, so skiers can relax and enjoy round-trip transportation to Telluride, which is about an hour away from the park.
“We think marketing to skiers is a logical next step for us as we continue to grow our business base,” said Vail, who has made a variety of improvements and changes in everything from enforcement of park rules to marketing to increase the campground’s business base by 30 percent during the past year.
In fact, the growth under the Vails’ management has been so strong that they recently received an Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Leisure Systems, Inc., the Milford, Ohio-based company that franchises 80 Jellystone Parks across the U.S. and Canada.
Black Canyon Jellystone Park is located at 22045 South Highway 550 in Montrose and is open year-round. More information is available at www.blackcanyonjellystone.com.
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