Start a Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #432 Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $324K - $14.4M

Units as of 2025: 78 4% over 3 years

Camp Jellystone is a family-friendly camping franchise, (formerly Yogi Bear's Jellystone Camp-Resorts,) that is one of the nation's top family resorts. Established in 1969, Camp Jellystone began franchising that same year. Since then, it has opened over 75 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Visitors to Camp Jellystone can rent out cabins, RV, or tent spaces, have fun at any of the water attractions, and take advantage of a number of the resort's amenities, from mini-golf to playgrounds. You also should not forget about Yogi Bear and the crew themselves. The Bears and Ranger Smith are bound to make an appearance.

Why You May Want to Start a Camp Jellystone

Camp Jellystone has been catering to families for over 50 years, making them a leader in family camping experiences. Plus, what other camps can call the famous cartoon character Yogi Bear their mascot?

What Might Make a Camp Jellystone a Good Choice?

If you decide to join a Real Estate Investment Trust, you'll receive specialized training, unique Yogi Bear merchandise, online reservation systems, and more. To be part of the Camp Jellystone team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment. You should also prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising fees and royalty fees. Franchisees may also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

Camp Jellystone offers ancillary revenue streams through food service and retail. Because the average stay is about three days, food service is critical. A camp will have at least one snack bar or restaurant. Some popular choices are Nathan's Hot Dogs or Hunt Brothers Pizza.

How To Start a Camp Jellystone Franchise

The easiest way to join the Camp Jellystone franchise is to convert your existing campground. This is the perfect option for campsite owners who find sales flatlining, want to expand campsite services beyond rentals, or need to create a unique campground that will stand out from the competition. A park conversion usually takes a few months to complete. The process includes a walkthrough of your existing campsite and corporate approval. You'll then create a vision and business plan and develop a conversion timeline.

If you want to purchase an existing campground, the site will need to meet certain requirements outlined by the company. Or, if you choose to build from the ground up, you may have additional financial requirements. To build from the ground up, you may need to contact the director of franchise sales and development to see if your plan is doable, fill out a new build franchise request form, submit a five-year business plan, and provide proof of funding.

If you do join the Camp Jellystone family, you'll soon be giving families a vacation to remember.

Company Overview

About Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort

Industry	Lodging
Related Categories	Campgrounds, Recreation
Founded	1969
Parent Company	Camp Jellystone
Leadership	Rob Schutter, President
Corporate Address	27777 Franklin Rd., #300 Southfield, MI 48034
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1969 (56 years)
# of employees at HQ	23
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada
# of Units	78 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$75,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$324,000 - $14,370,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4.5%-6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	7 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	20 hours
Classroom Training	34 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes