Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Piute County businesses report a tourism decline due to the Cottonwood Fire's impact.
- Owners emphasize Marysvale remains open despite cancellations from wildfire-related concerns.
- Three consecutive summers of wildfires strain local businesses' financial stability and resilience.
MARYSVALE, Piute County — The Cottonwood Fire continues to burn on Beaver Mountain, but about 20 miles away in Marysvale, business owners say another struggle is unfolding.
Restaurants, shops, hotels, resorts and other tourism-dependent businesses say cancellations have piled up after images of the wildfire and concerns about possible evacuations led some visitors to believe the area had closed.
While firefighters continue battling the fire, Marysvale businesses say they have remained open.
For owners who rely on the busy summer tourism season, the timing could not be worse.
"Usually in June and July, which is where we make most of our money, this place is hopping. It's packed," said Robert Thompson, owner of Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort.
Instead, Thompson said reservations have disappeared.
"It's not quite a ghost town now, but it really hurts us when people stay away," he said.
Sam Steed, owner of Rocky Ridge Resort and a Piute County commissioner, said as soon as pictures of the fire started appearing online, his phone started ringing.
"Boy, I tell you, the last few days, every phone call has been a cancellation," said Steed. "We get it. We understand people don't like the smoke, but there's a lot of rumors floating out there that the whole mountains are all canceled, and the trails are canceled and closed, and they're not."
Thompson said the concern is understandable, especially with the Cottonwood Fire receiving statewide attention.
"You hear a lot in the news, like, 'Oh, my goodness, it's the worst fire in the entire state of Utah's history.' Which people, they see it on the map that we're 20 miles away from that and they're like, 'That's a little too close,'" said Thompson. "Last week when the smoke was really bouncing up, we saw probably about 50% of that weekend canceled."
At the Marysvale Motel 4-U, owner Mary Pratz said she experienced similar cancellations.
"That first initial, I had a whole week's worth of cancellations. I was completely full and lost it all, and the reservations are not coming in. So, we will feel the effects," Pratz said.
She said the financial impact extends well beyond the summer months.
"What we really will feel is later when we have insurance payments due and property taxes due. We're really going to hurt this year," she said.
Most of the businesses in Piute County are mom-and-pop family-owned businesses.
Owners say they are not large corporations with deep financial reserves.
"It does hurt. It slams us hard," Pratz said. "Most of us have other jobs to maintain what we do. It's not like we're here to make a fortune. We're just here because we like the way of life."
Bryan Burrell, owner of Bullion Creekside Retreat, said his business has also seen people stay away because of the fire.
"Yeah. We've had more than 50% cancellations," Burrell said.
He said those cancellations directly affect his family's future.
"It comes right out of our retirement," Burrell said. "We understand. I don't want to minimize the danger. I know a lot of people lost something in the fire, but Marysvale is open. We are not closed, and it's still a great place to come."
Despite the wildfire, business owners emphasized that Piute County and its recreation opportunities remain open.
"We are open, and as a matter of fact, there's so much to do here," said Thompson. "We have thousands of miles of ATV trails. We've got whitewater rafting, we've got zip lines, we've got all kinds of fun things to do."
Burrell echoed that message.
"We still have thousands of miles of ATV trails and not to mention the rafting, the tubing, the kayaking, the bike trails," he said. "There's a lot you can still do here."
Pratz said visitors should know the community itself has not shut down.
"We're open. We're definitely open. Everything in Marysvale is open. There's no closures," she said.
For many owners, however, the Cottonwood Fire is only the latest challenge in a string of difficult wildfire seasons.
Steed said businesses are still recovering from previous fires that affected the region.
"The Silver King fire two years ago, that was a gut punch, and that hurt," said Steed. "The Monroe Mountain fire last year, that was a sucker punch, and it hurt all of us. The cattlemen, the tourism. This fire, I'm afraid, might be a knockout punch because it's three years in a row of this. How long can people survive?"
Thompson said surviving one difficult season is possible.
Three consecutive years is much harder.
"One year you can weather the storm, but if you dip into your savings three years in a row, it's tough," he said.
As firefighters continue working to contain the Cottonwood Fire, Piute County business owners hope visitors know that, despite the wildfire burning nearby, their businesses remain open.
"We see a few wisps of smoke come up every now and then way up the mountain, but we are not closed at all," Burrell said. "Everyone is still open. Come and stay with us."
