Emery County offers an extreme visit for the extreme minded
James L. Davis
It should come as no surprise to most that the majority of those who visit Emery County are looking for a decidedly un-citified experience. Which is probably a good thing for them, because Emery County has un-citified down to a science.
Those looking for a more refined experience probably leave the county a little disillusioned so the fact that the Emery County Travel Bureau is now focusing its energies on promoting the kind of adventure that awaits the enthusiastic visitor to the San Rafael Swell will only be a benefit to those who hope to get tourists to the area to spend some money while they are here.
After years of working together with the Castle Country Travel Bureau, Emery County has decided to focus its efforts more on the San Rafael. Anyone who has ever tried to develop a plan to keep travelers from the world over who play in our playground here long enough to spend some money locally, should welcome the shift in focus. Too often travelers left little more than their trash in the county as they dined and slept in Carbon County and moved on with their digital cameras full of experiences uniquely Emery County.
With the San Rafael Swell completely contained within Emery County, we have bragging rights to one of nature’s great attractions and while many may want to keep that a secret, the fact is the San Rafael Swell is no secret. The world knows all about the San Rafael Swell, it just doesn’t leave a money trail when visiting here.
According to Mike McCandless of Emery County Economic Development, visitors to the San Rafael Swell are a decidedly more extreme bunch than you will see sitting in the lobby of a hotel. The difference between the San Rafael Swell and Moab is that you have to put in some effort to enjoy what the Swell has to offer. Moab is a bit of an extreme visit for the citified. We offer an extreme visit for the extreme. They hunger for a little grit in their vacation and on any given weekend you can spot the typical Emery County tourist at Food Ranch in Orangeville, looking for a place to shower or unfolding their own lawn chair to sip a cup of coffee in the parking lot.
It isn’t that they don’t have money in their pockets (but admittedly, sometimes it is), it is that as a county we haven’t embraced our own extreme nature. We have a playground for the extreme and we can capitalize on that by organizing events for those who live for a little thrill in their vacation plans.
Green River is perfectly positioned with hotels and outfitters to take advantage of the new focus of the Emery County Travel Bureau and the other cities of the county each have events on the calendar that can take advantage of the San Rafael brand: un-citified, and proud of it. |
