Lets talk about Southern Utah (Washington County) Zion park
Investor · Whitttier, CA · Member since 2015 · 405 posts · 110 votes
After speaking with a broker in Virgin, UT, I learned that capitalizing on that Zion national park tourist vacation rental market can be (relatively) pricey and challenging.
My investor and I are looking for something close to nature or smack-dab in nature; but, still close enough to modern amenities to resolve any issues should they arise (emergencies/food etc).
I learned that if you are in the mountains, you will more than likely not have year round access, no water/rights, 2 hours away from amenities and no management willing to make the drive to check on 1 cabin, needless to say it was a little discouraging to hear.
However, this explains the lower prices for the intimate cabin setting that we are looking for.
My investor wants something close to an services and attractions, hence opportunity for vacation rentals, when not used by the primary owner; but, still have the ability to provide a private intimate/eco-friendly setting for those wanting to get a way from it all. I learned acquiring both, under $200K+ in Washington County might not be possible.
The broker also recommended Springdale, Rockdale, Zion, Virgin, Hurricane and ST George. I'm interested to hear your experiences.
Thanks.
@Davon Lowery I can tell you a little bit about the area since I live in St. George and Zion NP is one of our favorite spots. If you look at my picture, I am at Observation Point in Zion. The picture reminds me of the things my wife and I are going to do once we are financially free due to real estate investing!
If you want to be closer to Zion, Springdale and Rockville are your choices and I think the most scenic. Rockville has a number of BnB's and we've noticed a few for sale along the main road. Springdale is pricier but could probably command higher rents if you can find a place. I have noticed a number of for sale signs but don't know if zoning allows nightly rentals.
St. George is about 40-45 minutes from the south entrance of Zion. St. George proper does not allow vacation rentals unless it is an area zoned for it. Too many issues with neighbor complaints; not to say it does not still occur, I'm pretty sure it does. I believe there are some condos that allow it but I am not sure. I know I would not want to live next to a vacation rental that rents to 20 or so people at a time and the pool party is still going on at two in the morning!
Hurricane, pronounced Hurricun!, is located between St. George and Zion but not necessarily one of the most scenic areas.
If you need more info just PM me. I can give you a couple of recommendations for restaurants!
Tom
Are you against northern Utah?
Hi @Marc Andrew thanks for responding. Well the thing is, I have a 10 (no more than 11) hours, from Los Angeles search criteria, that is primarily began researching the Zion area. But, i'm all ears, 11 hours being the max.
@Davon Lowery Doesn't it take 10 hours just to get out of LA? haha!
Seriously though, SLC proper is 9.5 hours according to google maps. There's some canyons up this way that would fit the criteria. You would never want to buy anything up a canyon without water rights. If they dont come with the property, they're really hard to get and can cost up to 80k depending on the canyon.
Depending on how remote you want - Millcreek canyon has some places up for sale in the 200's. Check the utahrealestate website for the Porter Fork area. It's very remote (I think only 50 cabins up there) and it has tons of hiking trails and a stream right out your front door. In the winter, the road is only accessible by snowmobile though (at least that's what I hear). but the main canyon road is accessible. They also turn the last 7 or so miles of the road into a snowtouring road (no cars) from Nov-June. So that's very cool. These cabins are on leased land from the national forest service though, so they have to be bought cash.
Aside from that, emigration canyon is nice, but you wont get a place for under 450k. Big & Little cottonwood canyons have the ski resorts up them, but expect to pay for that (again, around 450k bare min for a house). You may find a condo at solitude or snowbird for the mid 200s, but it's not going to be the remote cabin feel obviously. Will be very easy to rent out though.
All of the above places are 30 minutes to downtown SLC, so having a property mgt company check on it shouldn't be an issue.
Moab, UT may be another option. It's not really the mountains, but an awesome area. Dont have to deal with snow either.
Hope this helps
@marcandrew
Thank you very much for that insight.
We really have to analyze this. What it boils down to is the equation of cost/time. Although our price point can be met it will take us longer to get there. As we all know time is a commodity that we cannot create more of.
Well that's what I was told when I just suggested the 10 hour drive vs the 6 hr drive to St. George. I believe we are going to have to look harder and re-analyze what we can truly obtain with our criteria.
I am learning about these water rights, huge issue for you guys and rightly so.
@Davon Lowery I can tell you a little bit about the area since I live in St. George and Zion NP is one of our favorite spots. If you look at my picture, I am at Observation Point in Zion. The picture reminds me of the things my wife and I are going to do once we are financially free due to real estate investing!
If you want to be closer to Zion, Springdale and Rockville are your choices and I think the most scenic. Rockville has a number of BnB's and we've noticed a few for sale along the main road. Springdale is pricier but could probably command higher rents if you can find a place. I have noticed a number of for sale signs but don't know if zoning allows nightly rentals.
St. George is about 40-45 minutes from the south entrance of Zion. St. George proper does not allow vacation rentals unless it is an area zoned for it. Too many issues with neighbor complaints; not to say it does not still occur, I'm pretty sure it does. I believe there are some condos that allow it but I am not sure. I know I would not want to live next to a vacation rental that rents to 20 or so people at a time and the pool party is still going on at two in the morning!
Hurricane, pronounced Hurricun!, is located between St. George and Zion but not necessarily one of the most scenic areas.
If you need more info just PM me. I can give you a couple of recommendations for restaurants!
Tom
Hurricane isn't scenic but the drive between the town and Zion NP is! We've stayed in Hurricane and in Springdale before and I much prefer the former (as a traveler). Springdale feels a bit like Estes Park, Co or West Yellowstone or even Gatlinburg, TN. I think it's smaller but it has the same sense of not being a "real" town, just a place that's all about tourists coming into the national park. It means everything is generally "fancier", more expensive and less "authentic". For me as a non-American traveling that's a turn-off. I much preferred staying at Hurricane which offers all of the stores and chain restaurants. That said, I'm not necessarily a typical tourist (if there is such a thing).
My impression is that most tourists visit Zion for a day. 2 days at most. These people want to stay in a hotel/motel in Springdale, as close as possible to the park itself. We stayed at vacation rental on our last visit but we were there to visit more than just Zion. We drove all the way to Cedar Breaks one day, and hopped over to see Bryce on another. We even visited St. George one evening. Hurricane was perfect for that, allowing us more flexibility at a far better rate than any Springdale hotel would.
I guess some Americans may go to the areas for vacations "in nature" but that wouldn't have to be near Zion NP itself. The park is fairly crowded these days (you can't find a parking spot near the visitor center after 10AM). If you want a peaceful outdoorsy vacation in nature, away from the crowds then I would actually stay away from Springdale. Have you tried the other side of Utah? I'm thinking Moab. It's more attractive to people who want to go beyond one canyon in one National Park (which is what most people do when they visit Zion NP).
Please remember I have no experience in being a VR owner or a real estate owner in the US. I'm new on BP, just learning the ropes, so the above is just based on my own experiences of traveling in the US.
I 2nd the idea of looking into Moab. There are 2 national parks (Canyonlands and Arches) nearby and very much a "small town" feeling. They have great river rafting, 4 wheeling, hiking, biking, etc. According to Google Maps it is 10 hrs from LA. Prices should be comparable, if not less to Zion area.
If you are dead-set on staying in the Zion area (and want to obey all the rules), I would be very leery of rental rules. My in-laws own some land by Sand Hollow reservoir that is technically part of Hurricane and they are not allowed to use the property for a vacation rental because of residential zoning laws.
Being a local to Hurricane and now St George and working in Springdale all through high school and college I know the area very very well. Like many have said, It all depends on the type of investment you are wanting to purchase. Springdale and Rockville you may be able to snag a beautiful victorian/historical type home that cost quite a bit more as it is at "The entrance to Zion." These homes will also hold larger groups of people hence "more money"... if you are wanting to find something cheaper, Virgin is an absolutely perfect place to snag a cool cabin that you can put a little money into and make it very "new age." I mean come on, most of the people traveling around this area are very into "small" kind of a "hipppie" lifestyle and don't usually travel in large groups. Springdale it seems attracts more of this type of person. And it takes less than a 15 minute "BEAUTIFUL" drive from Virgin to Springdale... I hope this helps! I am an agent here in Southern Utah and can send any and all listings you may be interested in, please let me know! :)
@tanyasmith I am definitely interested in learning more. I will research more of what you said and will be in touch.
@risahind thank you. I am glad to know there are several options open to us; we are move toward time/price philosophy.