The owners of Pine Creek Lodge in Paradise Valley have been working to find parking for their patrons for several years now. After the Park County Commission recently passed a parking ban along several roads near the lodge, their solution is a new parking lot just a short walk from Pine Creek.
It might seem like good timing, but the owners say they have been looking to put in parking since 2019.
“Where the new entrance is going to be, it's going to make a lot less sense to even want to park out on those roads because you'd have to walk all the way around,” says Chip Hurt, co-owner of Pine Creek Lodge.
Just last week, a parking ban ordinance was passed for roads near the lodge, which caused the owners to worry about the livelihood of the beloved business.
“It seems fast, probably, but it actually took quite a long time to get all the pieces to come together,” says Jenny Arr, who co-owns Pine Creek with Hurt.
The ordinance takes effect June 1, and they are hoping to get to work right away on a new parking lot before their summer season starts.
“Mostly, I think, almost all of it will happen completely in the background and we'll be able to work on the space behind us here without interrupting sort of daily operations here at the lodge,” says Arr.
Their lot could be four to seven acres in size to accommodate hundreds of cars.
“We have plenty of space to work with back there,” says Arr.
With the ordinance passed, and a secure location for a parking lot, their focus is now on summer.
“Fun and enjoyment and happiness that we bring to people out here,” says Hurt.
They have fresh pavement, rather than snow, on their horizon.
“We're going to have it done by then, for sure,” says Arr.
