Despite having "a cause for pause," HMH Capital of Dallas project manager Brent Hargrave is excited to get to work transforming Sleeping Giant Ski Lodge into a summer adventure park. He just needs one last signature before the gate swings open for construction crews.

The company has closed on the purchase of the lease and facilities from Cody entrepreneur Nick Piazza. Now HMH Capital needs the U.S. Forest Service to sign off on the sale. Hargrave said he expects the deal to be inked next week.

News broke of the closing after District U.S. Forest Service Ranger Casey McQuiston met Tuesday with the Park County Commission. He is excited to deal with the company, who has pledged community support and collaboration and is willing to build the facility to fit in with the "character of the North Fork corridor," he said.

"There were a number of [proposals for the property] that we said 'no, we're not going to entertain that,'" McQuiston told the commissioners, mentioning one proposal for zorbing, which places people in a large plastic ball that could be tossed down the hill.

"This is National Forest Service land, this is the North Fork Corridor, you know. I understand the desire to take additional revenue here to make this work, but we still want to keep, you know, the character of the North Fork Corridor," he said. "We want to make sure it kind of blends with the natural landscape, that it's not something that's sticking out like a sore thumb."

Just mentioning the closing during the meeting was considered a good sign for Hargrave and previous owner Nick Piazza that the Forest Service will approve the deal. Piazza is thrilled HMH Capital is the purchaser, knowing they have the resources needed to make the adventure park work and that they want to work with community leaders and stakeholders.

He said finding the right buyer took a lot of work, and he has high hopes for the project.

"It's getting an investor that definitely wants to see it work, and he's got the capital behind him to make it work," Piazza said.

Hargrave said they plan to invest $10 million to get the project off and running during a February introduction to the company hosted by the Forest Service. The meeting, held at the Game and Fish office in Cody, was packed with residents and stakeholders — some not happy with putting skiing on the back burner in favor of a summer attraction. He assured those in attendance they intend to be good community members.

"We want to be a member of the community. We want to be involved in what's going on in Cody. We want to be involved in the Park County Tourism Council. We want to keep Cody thriving," Hargrave said. "We want to stick with the theme. We want to embrace the Yellowstone culture and embrace the Cody culture. We're not going to make it a big old bright lights theme park or anything like that. That's not what this is."

If all goes right, opening day at the new attraction could be as early as Memorial Day weekend next year.

The company, which operates several attractions, has already registered Sleeping Giant Adventure Park as a Limited Liability Company (LLC); a Wyoming based company. HMH Capital has used the strategy for all of its properties, Hargrave said. He will personally be overseeing the construction of the site, but will also be hiring a property supervisor and general manager soon, leaders of a staff he expects to include over 20 employees.

The news breaks as June marks Great Outdoors month and National Trails Day is this coming Saturday. To celebrate, the Service is launching a new project to assist those recreating in national forests.

New recreation app

The Forest Service announced Wednesday it is launching a new, single  visitor information  mobile  app, National Forests and Grasslands, now available for download as visitors plan their summer trips to recreation sites across the National Forest System.  

The app provides the most complete and accurate collection of Forest Service recreation sites that has ever been made available to the public, along with important planning tools like critical safety alerts, closures, amenity details and more.  

“Due to the sheer size and remote nature of our 165,000 miles of trails and more than 30,000 recreation sites, we know that mobile service can be limited once you reach your destination,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “We encourage everyone to download the National Forests and Grasslands app — your own pocket-sized Forest Service guide — to check trail conditions, download offline maps, and view safety alerts before your trip.” 

With the app, users can design their own adventure by identifying and favoriting recreation activities on national forest lands within a selected radius. Visitors can search for opportunities such as hunting and fishing, water activities like canoeing or rafting, bike — or equestrian — friendly trails, and campsites based on available amenities. 

Downloading maps ahead of time allows users to access their location even in remote areas. Optional map layers, including fire information and National Weather Service alerts, can be toggled on to provide a complete picture of the environment at your destination. 

This debut will retire nearly 30 similar, outdated  agency apps,  improving overall visitor  safety, access and consistent information to the nearly 164 million visitors who recreate on national forests and grasslands each year.