Bear Ridge Ranch

Bear Ridge Ranch is a true mountain showplace located just northeast of Westcliffe, Colorado.  This is one of the finest properties you will find on the market today in the southern Colorado Mountains.  The diverse 197+ acres includes a magnificent custom log home with sweeping views of the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountain Ranges.   The log home, designed by Alpine Log Homes of Montana evokes a setting of historic mountain lodges with its grand entryway, floor to ceiling moss rock fireplace, and massive outdoor deck areas.  The home consists of a gourmet kitchen, dining room, living room, den, game room, master suite, guest suite and a guest wing with 3 additional bedrooms.   The ranch borders thousands of acres of the San Isabel National Forest and the property features timbered ridges, alpine meadows, aspen groves, creek frontage and a live spring.  Oak Creek flows through the bottom portion of the ranch and provides lush green sub-irrigated land and water resources for livestock and wild game.  As you tour the property, you are reminded of its historic past as you see remnants of a miner’s cabin and corrals which were once part of an old mining town. The ranch sets up well for large family uses, cattle and horses, trophy hunting, hiking, ATV use and more!

 

Bear Ridge Ranch is located approximately 22 miles northeast of Westcliffe, Colorado in Custer County.  It is easily accessible from the major Colorado cities without crossing mountain passes.  Denver is 3 hrs – Colorado Springs – 2 hrs and Pueblo – 1 hr. from the Ranch.  Commercial air service is available at all these cities and a local airport with a 7,000′ paved runway is located just south of Westcliffe and is capable of handling private jets. Westcliffe was built in the late 1800’s as the end-of-the-line for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to harvest the rich silver and gold deposits found in the area and many remnants of that ancestry exist to this day.  A community of 4000 residents, Westcliffe retains a small-town environment with its arts community, historic buildings, shops and restaurants.  The Wet Mountain Valley is certainly one of the most scenic and unspoiled mountain valleys in Colorado.  It continues to maintain its rural charm, western heritage, and ranch country feel.

  

The ranch has a stucco and log barn/utility building near its entrance which could easily be used to store vehicles, equipment, or ATV’s.  It could also serve as a nice workshop or be converted into living space for guests or a caretaker.

 

The land is located in Game Management Unit 69 and shares its eastern boundary with the San Isabel National Forest.  There is a private gated access from the ranch into the Forest for easy uses such as hunting, hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding.   Elk are often seen grazing in the meadows during early morning and early evening hours and mule deer, bear and turkey are seen regularly on the property.  The terrain, water resources, forage, and protective bedding areas on this ranch combine to create the ideal big game and upland bird habitat.  There is plenty of room to hunt on the property or on the 1,000’s of acres of adjoining National Forest.    Equestrians would love this property as there are old trails running through the ranch and many miles of trails and roads in the adjoining National Forest to ride and explore.

 

Bear Ridge Ranch is protected by a conservation easement held by the San Isabel Land Protection Trust. The conservation easement allows for all uses that are normal and customary for mountain ranches and allows for the construction of a guest home, barns and other agricultural outbuildings.