Ranch with 320 Acres, Two Homes, Irrigated with Hunting

Colorado Mountain Ranch with Irrigated Hay Fields and Hunting For Sale

Located about 5 miles west of Crawford, Colorado this historic Colorado ranch for sale has a unique combination of assets combining recreational values with historic cattle ranching. The ranch has a total of 320 deeded acres but borders large tracts of BLM lands that are almost impossible for the public to access. Approximately 40 acres are irrigated grass-alfalfa hayfields served by a small center pivot sprinkler and gated pipe. The balance of the acreage is either open meadows or pinyon-juniper forest. Improvements include a relatively modern 3,200-square-foot 5-bedroom 2 & 3/4-bath home, a 1,238-square-foot 1-bedroom guest home, and various outbuildings, corrals, and a well-improved spring. There are three Fruitland Mesa domestic water taps that come with the property.

The property is placed under conservation easement, with three additional building locations available. The orange home icons on the map indicate the building locations. 

Colorado GMU 63 trophy mule deer and elk hunting property for sale

Fruitland Mesa is known for its hay farms, cattle ranches, and especially for its trophy mule deer hunting in Colorado GMU 63. The area has consistently produced Boone & Crockett bucks for years, and this ranch is in the epicenter of the excellent hunting on Fruitland Mesa. To the north of the ranch is the Smith Fork of the Gunnison, flowing through a scenic canyon. The canyon rim is mostly BLM lands, which are favorite bedding habitat for mule deer and herds of elk. The configuration of the ranch makes it seem much larger than 320 acres, and the neighboring BLM lands offer basically exclusive hunting.

Historic Colorado ranch for sale has easy year-round access, good schools

Back in the 1890’s, this was one of the first ranches settled on Fruitland Mesa and was the home of a historic dairy. The original settlers knew what they were doing—this ranch offers an excellent situation for year-round living. Access is very good via a paved county road. Crawford has a K-6 Montessori school and nearby Hotchkiss is home to the middle school and high school. The local schools are well known for excellent academics, extracurricular activities, and sports programs. Crawford has a bank, convenience store, liquor store, a couple of restaurants, town hall, library, small clinic, and other services. Big-box stores, car dealers, larger banks, etc., are available about 35 minutes away in Delta, as well as regional airports about an hour and a half away in Grand Junction and Montrose.

Colorado lifestyle property offers excellent recreation, farming, grazing. Conservation easement is in place

This ranch offers a peaceful Western lifestyle centered around farming and ranching, recreation, and lifestyle. The hayfields produce adequate hay for 4H steers, sheep, goats, and other projects, as well as some income from hay sales. The grazing land is suitable for horses, cattle, and other livestock. There are many thousands of acres of nearby public lands accessible for horseback riding, hunting, pack trips, 4-wheeling, hiking, camping, and fishing. Nearby streams include the famous gold medal waters of the Gunnison River and the Grand Mesa has over 300 lakes and reservoirs for fishing. Crawford Reservoir is only minutes away, and Blue Mesa Reservoir also offers fishing and boating. The ranch has been preserved from future large-scale development by placing it in a conservation easement. The owners have retained three building envelopes for future homesites.