Skyline Mountain Resort: A Buyer's Guide to Cabin Life Above Fairview

Skyline Mountain Resort is a gated mountain community up Fairview Canyon, bordering the Manti-La Sal National Forest. It started in 1965 as Sports Haven International, a members-only camping and cabin club. Today owners hold deeded lots (deeds were issued in 2015) and use them for everything from weekend RV spots to year-round cabins.

It's one of the most varied neighborhoods I work in. Two lots a few hundred yards apart can have very different water, power and winter access. This guide covers what to check.

What owners love about it

• Amenities: clubhouse, pool with a water slide, 9-hole golf course, tennis and pickleball courts, an RV park and rental cabins
• Year-round recreation: snowmobiling and four-wheeling up Fairview Canyon, with Skyline Drive and the reservoirs close by
• Security: a gated community, with keyed gate access for owners
• HOA dues: $60 a month
• Close to town: groceries, schools and services in Fairview and Mt Pleasant are a short drive down the canyon

Water: check every lot

Water is the biggest difference from one lot to the next:

• Lower, "full-time" sections: served by the resort's water system
• Other sections: some lots rely on hauled water with a holding tank or cistern, filled at a nearby fill station

Before you write an offer, confirm in writing whether the lot is connected to the water system, has a hookup available, or needs hauled water. That one detail changes how you can use the property and what it's worth. For more on how water works in this area, read my guide, Water Rights and Shares in Fairview.

Power, septic and building

• Power is available to lots, but "at the lot line" is not the same as "connected." Ask what it will cost to bring power to your building site.
• Septic: cabins use private septic systems. Ask for permits and any perc test, and check whether an existing system is approved for the use you plan.
• Building: Sanpete County building permits plus the HOA's own rules apply. Read the current CC&Rs before you plan a cabin, a shed, or full-time RV use.

Winter access

Roads in the full-time area are plowed in winter, and main trails are groomed so owners can reach their properties. Other roads are maintained only part of the year. If you plan to live there or visit in winter, choose a lot on a plowed road, or plan on a snowmobile or side-by-side to get in.

My checklist for Skyline buyers

1. Water: system connection, hookup available, or hauled?
2. Is the road to the lot plowed in winter?
3. Is power connected or just available? What does it cost to connect?
4. Septic: is there an existing permit, or is a perc test needed?
5. HOA: confirm the seller's dues ($60 a month) are paid up, and ask about special assessments and rules on building, RVs and short-term rentals
6. Survey: where are the lot corners? Older lots aren't always clearly marked.
7. Creek frontage: some lots front Birch Creek. Ask about setbacks before you plan where to build.

Thinking about a cabin at Skyline?

I work with buyers at Skyline Mountain Resort and know which questions to ask before you fall in love with a view. Contact Sadie Wake to see what's available at Skyline Mountain Resort.