Photos
$2,995,000
MLS: 05022-16099
10. Acres
15,878 SqFt
15 beds
15.0 baths
Situated on the Grand Mesa just north of Paonia, Colorado, you'll find one of the most unique resort properties in the world—the Electric Mountain Lodge. The lodge has a unique combination of assets for use as a mountain resort, snowmobile lodge, wedding venue, or hunting retreat. From its position 19 miles north of Paonia, Colorado, the lodge is accessed by a graveled county road in the summer. In the winter, the last 10 miles are not plowed, which is why Electric Mountain Lodge is a popular snowmobiling destination in the winter, as it can only be accessed by snowmobile or tracked vehicle. The 10-acre property is part of a small mountain cabin community of 20 or so private parcels, which are otherwise surrounded by many thousands of acres of the Gunnison and Grand Mesa National Forest.
Buildings on the property:
The improvements on the Electric Mountain Lodge offer a very appealing set of assets for this secluded resort, which include the main lodge building; event center building with bunkhouse room; three large cabins; a quad-plex building with 4 studio units; two RV sites; and a large Morton steel shop building all situated on 10 acres. The property is on a shared spring for the water system and is hooked directly to the local DMEA power grid for electricity. The lodge is equipped with large propane tanks for heating the buildings and running the kitchen appliances, as well as large gasoline and diesel tanks for machinery. A small creek runs through the western portion of the property and feeds a small pond.
The property has a multitude of mountain recreational uses. In the summer and fall months, the center is already booked out for weddings every weekend. Day users on the Grand Mesa can also book rooms during the week and come in for a hot meal or a cold beer at the restaurant. In the fall months, the lodge hosts elk, bear, and mule deer hunters exploring the thousands of acres of surrounding public lands. During the winter, the lodge is a popular destination for snow sport enthusiasts for snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and back-country skiers. From this prime location, snowmobilers can be riding open meadows or technical terrain directly from the lodge, which is truly one of the best snowmobile lodges in the Western United States for the varied terrain that can be accessed right out the front door.
The main lodge building and three large cabins were originally built in 2006-2007, with the event building, shop, and other quad plex added in 2012-2013. At the time of the current owner's purchase, the improvements needed some love. After the current owner's purchase in 2022, the new owner made significant capital improvements to the property. They shut the doors on the property and proceeded to remodel the main lodge, the event center/bunk house, the three large cabins, and the quad plex over the course of the fall of 2022 and early 2023. Now, you can see in the photos the quality of work that has been completed. The lodge has been transformed into a stunning mountain getaway with high-end finishes.
With the remodel complete, Electric Mountain Lodge has set its sights on assembling assets to bring tremendous value to the operation as a rental and lodging business. First, the lodge partnered with BRP, a prominent powersport vehicle company renowned for its off-road vehicles. The lodge secured its agreement to obtain sideXside UTVs and snowmobiles for the rental business to be run from the lodge. In addition to this, Electric Mountain Lodge acquired a Forest Service special use permit for outfitting and guiding the public lands surrounding the business. The permit entails 300 service days for ATV/UTV guiding, 300 service days for snowmobile guiding, 300 days for commercial transportation services, and the authorization to groom the existing snowmobile trails and tracks for snowmobiling and skiing. Now the lodge is capable of providing tours and rentals for the summer months on hundreds of miles of established roads and trails, as well as snowmobiling rentals and tours for the expansive network of trails that criss-cross the Grand Mesa during the winter months. Business has been steadily improving, bringing in clientele from the Aspen, Crested Butte, and Telluride markets, as well as guests from all over the country looking for a Colorado mountain resort for motorsports recreation.
The Electric Mountain Lodge is bordered by Gunnison National Forest lands. The Grand Mesa is famous for its vast expanse of high-elevation mountain splendor—over 500 square miles of beautiful terrain on the world’s largest flat-topped mountain. The Grand Mesa has over 300 lakes and reservoirs and fishing is excellent. It’s very possible to ride a 100-mile loop with a snowmobile or UTV and never backtrack right from the lodge.
The recreational assets surrounding the lodge are noteworthy. GMU 521 is an over-the-counter unit for big game elk hunting during rifle seasons, drawing hunters from all across the country seeking to hunt the Grand Mesa for elk. Mule deer tags are issued on a draw basis, and hunters with sought-after archery mule deer tags want to be positioned to hunt the forests of the Grand Mesa during the archery seasons.
Overland reservoir is a quick trip from the lodge a couple of miles to the northwest. The reservoir has great fishing and canoeing during the summer months and provides beautiful campsites for those who like roughing it.
Just north of Paonia, Colorado, the access to the lodge during the summer months is by traveling up Stevens Gulch Road, an easy 19 miles north of Paonia. The road is county maintained and can easily accommodate small cars and AWD vehicles up the maintained gravel road. There is also an access that comes from McClure Pass, from the Muddy Creek area along CR 265. Both roads have parking lots during the winter months, with Stevens Gulch parking lot being approximately 9 miles from the lodge to the South, and the Muddy Creek access point approximately 12.5 miles to the East. The lodge offers pickup and drop off to clientele via tracked UTV as well as a new Mercedes Sprinter van outfitted with tracks.
Jake Hubbell, ALC