Ranch Marketing Associates

Grand River Ranch Video Tour>

Flat Tops Ranch is situated in northwest Colorado's high country wonderland between the world-renowned resorts of Vail, Winter Park and Steamboat Springs. Near the rural sportsman's town of Kremmling, the 680-acre private ranch is located west off US Highway 40, ten miles via County Road 14 to a high alpine spot above Gore Canyon. The ranch has a seasonal creek through it along its western side, borders vast public lands and has views like you're on top of the world.

Location: Flat Tops Ranch is located two miles west of Kremmling off County Road 14 the ten miles to its alpine vista above the mighty Colorado River. Less than a two-hour drive west of Denver, the historic ranching community of Kremmling has a population 2,000 residents and offers most services including a private jet-accessible airport just minutes from the ranch. Conveniently located, Steamboat Springs is 58 miles northwest of the ranch, Vail is 70 miles south and Winter Park is 50 miles east. The ranch is surrounded by other Grand River Ranches of similar size and borders state and BLM land with direct access into national forest.

Surrounding Area: The area around Grand River Ranch has traditionally been a rural ranching community - rich with an authentic western ranch culture and not affected by the ski resort influence. Of equal stature, the area is well known for its gold-medal fishing waters, rafting and water sports along with trophy big game herds. All of the ranches around Flat Tops Ranch are controlled and in strong hands providing a vast permanent open landscape that is rare in mountain areas with high scenic and recreational values. Several of the larger ranches in the area are already protected from development by conservation easements and are under stable long-term ownership.

The community of Kremmling offers many modern services and is a recreation paradise for the winter or summer outdoor enthusiast. Kremmling hosts 26 annual community events, providing entertainment for families and visitors of all ages and activity preferences. Kremmling Days (held in June) and the Annual Wolford Mountain Ice Fishing Tournament (held in February) represent two of the more popular ones. Kremmling has two banks and a credit union, kindergarten - high schools, grocery store, hospital with emergency room, library, coffee shops, diner, restaurants and saloons. A private jet-accessible airport (McElroy Field Airport) is only minutes from Flat Tops Ranch and two commuter/commercial airports are within a 1.5 hour drive of Kremmling; the Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) and Eagle County Airport (EGE). The town of Silverthorne, just 38 miles south of Kremmling, provides access to more dining and shopping opportunities as well as home improvement stores, larger super markets and general service/maintenance retailers.

Acreage: Flat Tops Ranch is 680 acres comprised of alpine terrain with thick stands of Pine and Aspen forests. Canyon Creek flows through the ranch along its western side to the south where it then drops into the Colorado River. Spectacular 360-degree views unfold in every direction; north to the Park Range, east to Wolford Mountain, south to the Eagles Nest Wilderness and west to the Piney Range and Flat Tops Wilderness - with the 19,000-acre Grand River Ranches to the north.

Wildlife and Fishery Resources: The shared Grand River Ranch Fishing Camp, below Wolford Mountain Reservoir and the Grand River Ranch Lake, contain rainbow trout, brook trout, creek chubs and fathead minnows. Aquatic habitat, both for fish and for waterfowl, has been substantially enhanced. Exceptional fly-fishing is also available on several gold-medal streams and rivers that are within an easy drive including the nearby Colorado River, Eagle River, Frying Pan River, Roaring Fork River, North Platte River, White River and numerous North Park streams. Additional lake fishing, water-skiing and sailing is available just across the highway on the 1,550-acre Wolford Mountain Reservoir and the nearby 2,125-acre Green Mountain Reservoir.

The ranch is inhabited by elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, black bears, red foxes, bobcats, pine martens, and beavers, and numerous small mammals such as snowshoe hares, marmots, long-tailed weasels, ermine, muskrats and chipmunks along with occasional moose migrating through the Grand River Ranch.

Recreational Considerations: Flat Tops Ranch is surrounded by world-class ski areas including Steamboat, Winter Park, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Vail and Beaver Creek. These well-known resorts also offer endless year-round recreation and entertainment opportunities including golf, tennis, water sports, hiking, biking, and culinary, art and music festivals, and a plethora of winter and summer alpine activities. The nearby Colorado River offers fishing, kayaking, and rafting. Hiking, climbing, camping and mountaineering can be found in every direction from the property and road cycling is a popular summer activity with an ever-expanding network of dedicated cycling paths. In addition, mountain biking, off-road motorcycling and ATV trails exist on the ranch and in the nearby mountains and hills.

The topographic privacy of the property and world class views gives it excellent recreational value. There are millions of acres of public land directly west if one chooses to venture beyond the ranch border. Flat Tops Ranch and adjacent ranches are professionally managed and patrolled to maintain security and mitigate trespassing.

Grand River Ranch: Flat Tops Ranch is a part of the Grand River Ranch that features nineteen individual ranches on 19,000 acres, each with its own character and carefully planned with reasonable covenants and guidelines aimed at safeguarding its history and resources. Conservation easement potential remains intact and Flat Tops Ranch offers an extraordinary opportunity to own a ranch with other amenities including a Private Lake with Day Cabin for Lake Fishing and non-motorized boating, a Day Cabin and Overnight Cabin on a first-class fly fishing stream, Sporting Clays Shooting Range, Equestrian Center with Outdoor Arena and the full-service Grand River Ranch Lodge providing overnight accommodations, fine dining and entertaining area.

Climate: Elevations average 9,500 feet at the Flat Tops Ranch featuring the attractive Colorado mountain climate - warm sunny days with low humidity and cool nights. Average summer temperatures are in the upper 70's with lows in the 40's. Winter is typical of the conditions at the base of some of Colorado popular ski resorts with pleasant day temperatures ranging from the teens at night to 30's during the day and snow cover of approximately 100 inches per year from December through April.

Improvements: There are no structures or buildings on Flat Tops Ranch but there are several excellent building sites throughout the property. The ranch provides for three home sites allowing the construction of three main residences, guest house and related accessory buildings.

Operational Considerations: The ranch would make a wonderful private getaway, family retreat and the outdoor lover's paradise. All land is owned in fee and there are no public land grazing permits associated with the ranch. Currently, the Grand River Ranch leases out the majority of the ranch for summer cattle grazing which can continue on at Flat Tops Ranch if desired and which would preserve the agricultural status of the property and the consequent low property taxes. Should a new owner wish to place a conservation easement on the property, there will no longer be the need for grazing to maintain agricultural status.

Water Rights: Both further surface and well water rights may be developed. The ranch has seasonal water for wildlife from Canyon Creek and typically, private wells are established to provide water for domestic use and limited livestock consumption.

Special Conditions: The property is zoned as agricultural/forestry by Grand County. The Grand River Ranch property owners association has restrictions over the ranch which limits development to three 70-acre home sites along with related barns and other outbuildings (one main residence, guest house and outbuildings on each site). The opportunity to forgo one or two of the home sites through a conservation easement could yield a significant non-cash charitable donation and associated tax savings.