lferrell@alamosanews.com 

SOUTH FORK – For the past several years, people have watched as what appeared to be another RV park take shape along the southern bank of the Rio Grande just outside of South Fork. Beautiful log cabins began to take shape, club houses rose straight for the sky and fountains began to gurgle with rich, clear water and as curiosity began to emerge once again, a sign went up on the entrance announcing Rio Grande RV Resort. 

Developer Mike Biggerstaff walks along the roads, checking in on his crew as they piece together his vision for a high-end RV resort in the small mountain town of South Fork. The town is known as a destination for out-of-town visitors, offering the Colorado experience folded into the picturesque San Juan Mountains.  

“I designed this entire place piece-by-piece by hand,” said Biggerstaff as he sketched a schematic of plumbing equipment on a piece of paper. “Everything, even the timber designs have been done right here.” 

In his years as a developer, Biggerstaff has completed 27 subdivisions in Texas, designed and built Cabella and Bass Pro Shop stores, built custom homes and comes to South Fork with years of experience he is excited to share with the community. 

“People who drive by here have no idea the quality of the work that is being done and how the designs are all being put in place to match what South Fork is. We want to capture the uniqueness of the area and allow the folks who come to stay here to experience what the locals get to experience every day.” 

One of the amenities being built at the resort is an indoor pickleball court. The building is massive with a steep, vaulted ceiling. Large bay windows reach the peak of the room showcasing the winding Rio Grande. 

One of the most beautiful designs Biggerstaff created is the ceiling to the exercise building. There is a massive tree harvested from the Conejos Peak Ranger District that takes center stage with huge beans of log spiraling inward to create a sunshine ray effect on the ceiling. The design is breathtaking, and the measurements and engineering was done by Biggerstaff. 

The resort uses as many local contractors as possible, making sure all the work is staying here in the San Luis Valley. One of the largest contributions the resort made was the 600-home water treatment plant that was built on site and donated to the town to help with water. 

“Our owner wants to give back to the community, and this is only one way he has done so. He designed the pump equipment himself,” stated Biggerstaff. 

The resort plans to host a grand opening on July 3-5 and hopes to have most of the final touches in place by then. Though this will be a private resort, it will bring jobs, and boost the economy. 

“Growth can be bad if done incorrectly, it can also be really good if you have good people behind the wheel,” he said.