Vendor pulls out of Rockport State Park over 'long-term issues with park management'

An aerial view of Rockport Reservoir taken in September 2021. Rockport State Park's vendor announced this weekend it has terminated its contract with the state over issues with park management.

An aerial view of Rockport Reservoir taken in September 2021. Rockport State Park's vendor announced this weekend it has terminated its contract with the state over issues with park management. (Devon Dewey)


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PEOA, Summit County — The concessions management company for Rockport State Park says it has severed its ties with the Utah Division of State Parks, citing "ongoing long-term issues with park management."

Marina at Rockport State Park, which is operated by Valley Recreation & Rental LLC, announced the decision via social media Saturday. The vendor is the one that offers watercraft, yurt and cabin rentals at the state park, as well as special events.

"This was never our plan or desire but has become necessary," the post read, in part. "In the coming days, we will be resolving reservations and refunds on pending reservations.

"We want to thank each and every one of you for an amazing five years," the post continued. "Together we built something that has never been seen at Rockport and it was such a great experience. We (are) saddened to see it come to an end, but we made the decision after long debate and multiple attempts to resolve issues."

It wasn't made clear what the dispute was about. KSL.com reached out to Marina at Rockport State Park Monday but did not receive a comment by press time. The Utah Division of State Parks declined to comment on the dispute but confirmed the company terminated its contract with the state, meaning that it won't offer any of the services visitors were used to in recent years.

"The Division is working with the business to remove their equipment and other property from the park. Those looking for updates on any existing or upcoming reservations with the company will need to contact them directly," Devan Chavez, a spokesman for the Utah Division of State Parks, wrote in an email to KSL.com on Monday.

Some of the equipment will be up for liquidation in the near future, the vendor added on social media.

Despite the vendor dispute, Chavez said the park will remain open for day-use activities and camping this year while the division looks for a new vendor to offer rental services at the park.

Rockport State Park drew in nearly 175,000 visitors last year, according to Utah Division of State Parks data. Photos and videos of the park also went viral at the end of last summer when tracings of the ghost town of Rockport that the reservoir replaced resurfaced as a result of low water levels.

The reservoir, which had fallen to about a quarter of its entire capacity in the fall, is now about 80% full, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources.

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Summit and Wasatch countiesUtah travel and tourismOutdoorsUtahSummit/Wasatch County
Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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