GM Development has ventured into the wilderness.
The local firm, best known for buying the shuttered Veterans Affairs hospital in eastern Denver, opened a glamping spot on the Grant side of Guanella Pass at the end of May.
Since then, 500 nature lovers have spent the night at Lostfork Basecamp, which has nine cabins, nine spaces for RVs and nine sites to pitch a tent. They have enjoyed nearby hikes, cold plunge pools, saunas and a man-made beach along Geneva Creek.
The plan is to add canvas tents with decks next year.
“The creek there flows into the north fork of the South Platte, so this area was kind of the forgotten fork,” said Skyler Moore, co-founder of Modus Real Estate, GM’s brokerage arm.
“And the reason we called it basecamp is because Geneva Ski Basin is up there,” fellow co-founder Ben Gearhart added. Charles Moore, who founded GM with Gearhart in 2014, is the third musketeer of the group.
That former ski area closed in the 1980s, but is sought out by backcountry skiers, who GM hopes will keep Lostfork hopping come wintertime. The 300-square-foot cabins come with a personal hot tub.
The spot also has a venue for weddings, concerts and other events, and Moore said nearly all event slots are booked through 2026. Being just over an hour from Denver was a big plus, Gearhart said, since there are no similar luxury campsites that close.
“That’s a big challenge in the wedding and camping worlds, to identify a spot 60 minutes from Denver with a mountainside river,” Moore said.
The pair said building out Lostfork took about two-and-a-half years and $3.7 million, including the cost of buying the 10 acres, 4 of which have been developed. Gaining the proper zoning and water rights were the two biggest hiccups, but once construction started, it was relatively smooth.
Cabins range from $175 to $550 depending on the date. An RV spot with a hookup goes for between $95 and $115, and a tent pad costs $75 to $85.
The pair have launched a bike race in an effort to make Lostfork a destination. The Lostfork Lung Buster’s 65-mile course takes riders over both sides of Guanella Pass to Georgetown and back, with 6,500 feet of vertical gain. The inaugural event was held this year shortly before Memorial Day, when the road over the pass opens to vehicles, and the plan is to do it annually.
Come wintertime, Moore and Gearhart plan to create a makeshift hockey rink in the RV park for pond skating enthusiasts. Snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing will also be draws, they said.
This is the first time the two have built a campsite. They said having a luxury oasis close to Denver was the biggest draw. They’d like to develop another, but said the importance of picking the right spot — with ample space, water and much to explore nearby — is not lost on them.
“Building in the mountains is tough,” Moore said. “And that’s something we learned the hard way, that you have to be hands on.”
Back in Denver, GM is looking to convert the former VA hospital into apartments.