Little Creek Ranch

Welcome to Little Creek Ranch!  Your chance to own a rare large acreage tract in the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado.  The property is improved with a 2,672 square foot 3 bedroom and 3 bath log and stone home built in 1968.  The home will need to be remodeled but appears structurally sound.  The 152 acres consists of both native mountain grasslands, several ponds, and a seasonal mountain creek lined with mature aspen trees.  Views from this property are amazing in all directions.  The property is year-round accessible on County maintained roads and it is only a 15-minute drive to Westcliffe, Colorado.

 

Little Creek Ranch is located approximately 8 miles northwest 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 property is a recreational base for many activities with over 300+ days of sunshine and fresh mountain air.  Enjoy horseback riding, hiking, ATV use, camping, hunting, and more in the nearby San Isabel National Forest and Sangre De Cristo Wilderness.  The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness sits just west of the property and consists of 220,00+ acres. All of this wilderness is managed by the Forest Service and the National Park Service. Four fourteeners are clumped together in the midsection of the Wilderness and melting snow feeds many creeks and small lakes, and nourishes a forest of oak, aspen, and spruce.  Colorado’s Rainbow Trail arcs through the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, providing roughly 100 miles of outdoor fun.  Enjoy everything from hiking to horseback riding to biking on the immense trail. Motorized trail vehicles can also use a portion of the route as well as many of the area’s side trails and four-wheel drive roads. Interested in hunting or fishing? The Rainbow Trail offers plenty of that, too. Many side trails lead visitors up to mountain lakes and streams for fishing, and during hunting season, gamesmen will find plenty of bear, deer and elk nearby.  Day trips may also include a trip to DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area, world class rafting or fly fishing along the Arkansas River or winter skiing at Monarch Mountain.

 

Little Creek Ranch is protected by a conservation easement held by the San Isabel Land Protection Trust.  It also borders several thousand acres of larger ranches also protected by conservation easements which will insure limited building development in the area, privacy, and unspoiled views for the ranch in the future. The conservation easement allows for all uses that are normal and customary for mountain ranches and allows for the construction of an additional residential home, barns and other agricultural outbuildings. The property has a state permitted domestic well which allows an owner the right to use this water for in-house use, watering livestock and irrigation of up to 1 acre of land.  The property also has a decreed water right along Little Creek for maintaining pond water, gardening, and water for livestock.