Eagle Point Resort won't reopen this winter as it recovers from massive wildfire

BEAVER — Eagle Point Resort will not reopen during the upcoming ski season, after the Cottonwood Fire ripped through the resort in June.

The resort announced its decision in a Facebook post on Monday, calling it a "difficult but necessary decision." The Cottonwood Fire affected 300 acres of ski terrain and damaged or destroyed four chairlifts and the resort's Canyonside Lodge, officials added.

"While we are heartbroken to miss this season, our focus remains on supporting the 145 families who lost homes and condominiums at Eagle Point, helping the greater Beaver County community recover, and advancing the restoration and recovery efforts that lie ahead," the resort said.

Season passholders are being given the option to receive a full refund, transfer their pass to the 2027-2028 season, or donate some or all of their pass purchase to the wildfire recovery nonprofit that the resort's owner launched last month.

It's still unclear what caused the Cottonwood Fire, which is now mostly contained after burning more than 97,000 acres after starting on June 22. Its origin remains under investigation, but U.S. Forest Service officials said "extremely dry fuels and weather conditions conducive to fire spread" combined to create "rapid growth."

The fire moved through Eagle Point Resort within the Tushar Mountains and many other structures in the area within its first 48 hours. Approximately 150 structures were destroyed by the fire, fire managers later determined.

"There's a very good chance this is already the most destructive fire in the state's history. ... It's certainly catastrophic," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said prior to the estimate being released. "We know it's going to impact this community for a long, long time."

That's only been half of the problem this summer. Monsoonal storms formed over the fire's burn scar last month, sparking severe flooding in Beaver Canyon and in the city of Beaver.

Parts of state Route 153, which links Eagle Point to Beaver, were washed out by the flash flood. Most of the highway remains closed indefinitely because of the damage, and there's no timetable for repairs to begin.

Cox declared a state of emergency that applies to Beaver and two other counties.

In the meantime, Shane Gadbaw, owner of Eagle Point Resort, has vowed to rebuild. The family-owned resort first opened in 1972, and it remains one of just two Utah resort options south of the Wasatch Mountains.

Gadbaw also launched a new nonprofit in July called the BeaverTUF Foundation, which seeks to support wildfire recovery efforts across Beaver County and invest in long-term community projects.

"One hundred forty-five families lost their homes or condos. That's more than half of the community up here," he told KSL at the time. "That's probably the toughest part of it all, to lose the community that we worked so hard to build."

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