Sep 3, 2020 – https://www.bedfordgazette.com/news/local/river-mountain
River Mountain, a new outdoors experience in Bedford County, held its ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
Many local businesses along with county commissioners and Bedford County Development Association (BCDA) members gathered to welcome River Mountain to the community.
River Mountain is a self-proclaimed “glamping” site, which gives you a feel for the great outdoors with the comforts of cabins with beds and even restrooms.
“It’s just very exciting,” said Ryan Tyrrell, co-founder of River Mountain. “There’s been a lot of excitement for a long time. A lot of hard work. We’re very, very excited.”
“I think it markets all the great things about Bedford County,” said Josh Lang, Bedford County commissioner. “I think this just increases our presence of the quality of life that we have here in Bedford County.”
“We’re developing a critical mass of ‘coolness’ in Bedford County,” said Bette Slayton, president of the BCDA. “We’ve always known we have a lot to offer, but we’re having new sets of eyes tell us, ‘This is an incredible part of the world.’”
Tyrrell, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, said Bedford County stood out to him, from the start, as a place to put his business.
“It’s a beautiful outdoors place and destination,” Tyrrell said. “I was drawn to it personally as somebody who loves the outdoors. You’ve got hiking, fishing, you name it and you’ve got it here in Bedford County.”
“We met a lot of good people quickly, and we found a great property, and once that happened, we just said, ‘Let’s do it,’” he added.
Another reason Bedford County stood out to the River Mountain team was its proximity to many big cities such as Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
“I think, more than ever, people want to get outdoors, and we’re within a two-hour drive, generally,” Tyrrell said.
“They are marketing to visitors from major urban areas,” Slayton said. “So this will just continue to bring visitors into our community and help stimulate the local economy.”
“They’re tapping into existing resources by providing a destination of retreat so I think it adds a lot of great value to the community,” Lang said.
The property was originally set to open June 25, Tyrrell said, but with the coronavirus pandemic the project was delayed.
“We just paused, settled down, mobilized and then got going again,” Tyrrell said, praising the team for handling the adversity well. “What can you do? You just keep marching forward.”
The first River Mountain guests are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, and the weekend it already sold out.
“I’m just really appreciative of the people in Bedford County. I’m really appreciative of all the people who made this development what it is and I’m appreciate of the partners on my own team who have persevered through the teeth of this COVID year,” Tyrrell said. “I’m just really happy we’re open. We’re just really fired up about our guests getting here.”
River Mountain is located at 3600 Black Valley Road.
For more information, visit River Mountain’s website.