Billionaire Joe Rickett’s proposed luxury resort in the rural Hoback Basin near Bondurant is moving forward with the necessary building permit from Sublette County and plans to break ground later this spring or summer. The permit authorizes the construction and development of The Homestead 20-unit resort with an attached underground day spa and a 90-seat fine dining restaurant.
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SUBLETTE COUNTY — Billionaire Joe Rickett’s proposed luxury resort in the rural Hoback Basin near Bondurant is moving forward with the necessary building permit from Sublette County and plans to break ground later this spring or summer. The permit authorizes the construction and development of The Homestead Resort, a 20-unit resort with an attached underground day spa and a 90-seat fine dining restaurant.
Upon completion, the day spa and restaurant will be open to the public. Guests of The Homestead Resort will be encouraged to utilize the recreational offerings of local operators, guides and other businesses, according to a March 15 release issued by Sarah Rothman, of Lede Company, on behalf of Ricketts and the Jackson Fork Ranch.
In the release, Ricketts said, “I respect the careful diligence of Sublette County officials to maintain the pristine and beautiful nature of Sublette County for locals and visitors who come from as close as Jackson or Rock Springs, or as far as Europe. The design of the Homestead Resort should complement the beauty of its surroundings. I believe the architect’s renderings demonstrate just that. This project will create additional jobs and opportunity (sic) in our community, and I’m excited to get started.”
Ricketts expects the Homestead Resort “to be a destination for visitors seeking a premium resort experience with a mission-driven focus on protecting, preserving, and enjoying the natural beauty of the Upper Hoback region.”
As reported by the Pinedale Roundup last month, a Feb. 4 drive up Upper Hoback Road revealed crews were getting ready for earthwork, with obvious signs of staging equipment like a bulldozer and excavators directly across from the old Chevron Pit, across sagebrush flats and along fence lines around the planned resort.
‘Little Jackson Hole’
In 2021, Ricketts’ 56 acres of hillside agricultural property was rezoned into a recreational services district allowing a hotel and related development — The Homestead Resort — following approval by the Sublette County Commissioners.
At a meeting in Pinedale in May 2023, Ricketts explained referring to his address as “Little Jackson Hole” instead of “Bondurant” is a more “charming” way to advertise and market the Jackson Fork Ranch, the Homestead Resort and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. “If I was going to advertise ‘Bondurant’ to people from Los Angeles or New York, no one would know where it is. But if I advertise ‘Little Jackson Hole,’ everyone knows where it is.”
Ricketts then predicted that western Wyoming’s tourist numbers would multiply 10 times in as many years.
Tourism is a leading industry in Sublette County, but the numbers have fluctuated in recent years. The county welcomed more than 16,734 visitors in 2023, as compared to 19,308 in 2022, according to figures provided by the Sublette County Visitor Center. The largest number of visitors to Sublette County was in 2017, with 24,945 recorded. Even in 2020 as the global pandemic impacted tourism across the world, Sublette County welcomed 17,339 visitors.
In terms of population, Sublette County was the fastest-growing county in Wyoming last year, at a rate of 2.5 percent between July 2022 and July 2023, according to a report recently released by the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. Meanwhile, neighboring Teton County, which welcomed more than 1.69 million visitors in 2023, experienced a population loss over the same period.
Because of its proximity to the national parks up the road, Sublette County’s beautiful landscapes continue to garner attention. More than 4.1 million people traveled to Yellowstone National Park and 3.4 million to Grand Teton National Park last year — many of them passing through Pinedale and stopping off in Sublette County on their way.
“We need tourists,” Ricketts said during his 2023 presentation at the Pinedale Library’s Lovatt Room. But, he added, they might accidentally walk on scree fallen from mountainsides and disturb “millions and millions of moths” that grizzlies thrive on. And people want to pay money to “participate in conservation.”
Willing wealthy “ecotourists” want to learn about and invest in conservation, perhaps one of the Ricketts Foundation causes, while the Ricketts-endowed University of Wyoming biologist studies local wildlife in detail.
Being situated close to important mule deer, pronghorn and elk migration corridors and habitat, tourists can learn more about the history of migration and participate.
The Homestead Resort will provide all of that – and much more – to high-paying guests who will park their cars in an underground lot after driving on the new road built on Jackson Fork Ranch.
Growing pains
Hoback Basin landowners, Ricketts' neighbors and area residents who dread an expansion from Jackson south into Sublette County have been critical of Ricketts and his developments, even as the billionaire made large donations to local entities like the Sublette County Health Foundation.
His impending but long-rumored purchase of White Pine Ski Resort near Pinedale, coupled with his goal to make more snow on the mountain raised eyebrows in February, as did his on-site visit to High Country Suites earlier this month. In addition to moving forward with construction on his luxury resort in Bondurant, Ricketts is preparing to take ownership of the 363-acre ski area within the Bridger Teton National Forest in April, with a Board of Advisors “to strategically guide the business” and hopes to “add improvements that will ensure White Pine remains a cherished destination for all of Sublette to enjoy for years to come.”
In his latest message to powder enthusiasts, longtime White Pine owner Alan Blackburn said of the impending sale, “The sale is not yet complete, but under the guidance of Mr. Ricketts and his team, they bring a vision for the future that promises to bolster our beloved resort, starting with the introduction of snowmaking capabilities.”
Blackburn expressed his “complete confidence in White Pine’s future under this new stewardship. I know I am leaving with a truly great team in place, led by Katie Lane, who together will help take White Pine to its next phase.”
