Property Description

If there ever was the quintessential Colorado ranch, this has got to be it!  This property offers the hard-to-find combination of luxury, solitude, beauty, and endless recreational opportunities. Located 30 miles south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Royal Springs Ranch has commanding views of the Morrison Creek Valley to the East and the gorgeous mountains that make up Green Ridge in Route National Forest to the West. With over 1,388 acres (748 Deeded and 640 state-lease), this ranch provides the space to truly enjoy the serenity the Rocky Mountains are famous for. A stunning main home, guest cabin, and multiple outbuildings provide the quality improvements that would impress even the most discerning buyer. Surrounded by golden aspens, dark green pines, grass-filled meadows, and an impressive amount of live water, you owe it to yourself to explore this beautiful property! 

IMPROVEMENTS

Royal Springs Ranch boasts the perfect combination of a luxury mountain home, guest house, rustic cabins, and various outbuildings. This turn-key property is being sold fully furnished, so you can start enjoying your investment immediately. 

MAIN HOME

The keystone piece of the ranch is a beautiful mountain home boasting a luxurious mix of contemporary mountain finishings and Carlisle antique oak floors. This 2-story home includes 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, with a masterful stone fireplace that reaches to the top of the vaulted ceiling. Dark, rough-cut timber accents both the exterior and interior while an appealing mix of stone, tile, and granite completes this home's high-end finishings.  The main floor is where the kitchen, dining room, great room, master suite, office, mud/laundry room, guest bedroom/bath, and separate half bath are located.  On the upper level are three more bedrooms, each with its own full bath, an exercise room, and a sitting room with a fireplace that overlooks the great room below. All rooms have large windows that allow for plenty of natural light and warmth while and views across the pristine mountain meadows.  The location of this home is strategically located to take advantage of the gorgeous mountain and pond views, yet positioned so as to not negatively affect the wildlife and hunting that this area is famous for. 

HUNTERS/GUEST CABIN

As of June 2022, this 2-bedroom, 2-bath, cabin is in its final stages of completion. This guest cabin sits in a secluded location behind the outbuildings and corals and provides a comfortable and private place for your guests to relax. The cabin boasts in-floor radiant heat, tile, and an open kitchen.  To top it all off, the logs are hand huned from timber on the ranch!  Stay tuned for updated descriptions and pictures... 

"OUTFITTER" CAMP

This unique setup mirrors an Outfitter's camp with brand new Davis wall tents set on top of plywood platforms. There are two sleeping tents and one cook tent. Each tent has its own propane heater and wood-burning stove. This beautiful setting is surrounded by tall aspens and pines and overlooks a natural spring-fed pond. 

OUTBUILDINGS / CORRALS

The ranch has a set of pine log outbuildings that consist of a workshop, homesteader's cabins, and a large shed that houses the wood-milling machine and tractor storage. There is another rustic cabin that overlooks the ranch and is a favorite place to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, a glass of wine in the afternoon, or grill up a prime steak, all while glassing for all the wildlife who call this majestic place home. Finally, there is a set of wooden fenced corals and a loading chute when it's time to gather cows. 

ROADS

The previous owners have spent a lot of time and money creating and maintaining an amazing road/trail system throughout the ranch. Whether you prefer to drive your truck or 4-wheeler, horseback, or hike, these trails are thoughtfully designed to take you to some of the most beautiful areas this property has to offer. 

HUNTING

If you thought the building improvements were impressive, the hunting and recreational attributes that this ranch provides are outstanding! Royal Springs Ranch has the ideal combination of dark timber, aspen groves, open meadows, and live water.

In addition to the deeded acreage and state lease, the ranch borders millions of acres of Routt National Forest. The ranch has a gradual elevation gain of 8,120 feet to 8,250 feet. While the bordering National Forest climbs all the way up to 10,000+ feet. This provides the perfect habitat for the Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Moose, and Dusky Grouse.

Located in Game Management Unit 15, this is an Over-the-Counter unit for Elk (Archery, 2nd & 3rd Season Rifle). The biggest advantage to owning a ranch in an OTC unit is the assurance that both you and your family/friends are able to hunt Elk there every year, regardless of preference points. Average bulls in this score in the 280in - 320in range. That being said, the remoteness of the adjoining National Forest can and will produce bulls that gross over 350 inches, so you just never know what that next bugle will bring.... The ranch is equally suited for archery, muzzleloader, and rifle hunters and the numbers of Elk remains fairly consistent throughout the varying hunting seasons. Lastly, this unit offers a five-month long, private land only, cow Elk season. These are "B" tags, meaning you can fill your cow tag with a rifle any day from Sept 1st - Jan 31st and still have the ability to hunt bulls with your "A" tag. 

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Routt County is one of the few counties left in Colorado that still maintains its ranching heritage while boasting one of the best ski resorts in the country. This area plays host to a wide array of events including: the Steamboat Winter Carnival, Steamboat Hot Air Balloon Festival, OktoberWest, county fair, rodeos, marathons, and some of the best live music and arts you'll ever see!

Don't worry though, if it's escaping crowds you are after, roughly 50% of Routt County is public land, offering you access to millions of acres of some of the most beautiful and diverse land this country has to offer. The opportunities to hunt, camp, hike, and find the peace and quiet you are looking for are almost as endless as the views are.

Naturally, we'd be remiss not to brag about Steamboat Springs Ski Resort. This award-winning resort is the reason Steamboat is called "Ski Town, USA". For decades, Steamboat Springs has consistently ranked as one of the best Ski Mountains, Resort Towns, Family Ski Areas, etc, etc in the country. It offers an impressive combination of fine dining, retail shopping, breweries, art studios, lodging, and historical points of interest. As if Steamboat's list of things to brag about wasn't long enough; this year 13 athletes with ties to Steamboat are in attendance at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. That brings the number of Steamboat Athletes to a record 100 and counting..! This comes from more than 80-years worth of Olympic tradition which is unmatched in the world.

Stagecoach Reservoir is located just 12 miles in the direction of Steamboat Springs and provides world-class fishing, boating, paddle boarding, and ice fishing. In fact, Stagecoach still holds the Colorado State Record for Northern Pike! Stagecoach has a marina that provides boat rental, as well as boat storage, and slip rentals.

Whether you choose to start your adventure by walking out the front door or choose to travel a short distance, Royal Springs Ranch is also the perfect home base for endless recreational activities. Explore all day and come home to the quality and comfort you deserve! 

WATER

Royal Springs Ranch is blessed with an abundance of water sources, which in turn means it's blessed with an abundance of wildlife! In addition to the agricultural water rights, there are seven different ponds on the deeded acreage, each one providing a picturesque tranquil setting within the ranch boundary. A number of small creeks run through the property, the largest being Muddy Creek and Clear Creek. All of the water that drains through the ranch ends up in Morrison Creek. This high mountain fishery flows through the leased section of State-owned land and provides the perfect opportunity to cast dry flies at eager trout. 

AGRICULTURE

You don't have to go far from the famous resort town of Steamboat Springs to see the Colorado Cowboy is still alive and well! Irrigated hayfields blanket the valley floor while black Angus cattle scatter the small-scale agricultural enterprises that are the economic and historical backbone of the county. While Steamboat Springs provides a truly impressive list of events throughout the year, perhaps one of the most popular is the Pro Rodeo Series. Previously voted the Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year, the series lights up Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer, keeping alive the true Western tradition of Steamboat Springs.

As for Royal Springs Ranch itself, it contributes to that ranching heritage by leasing the deeded land to a local rancher for summer/fall cattle grazing. This benefits the owner of Royal Springs Ranch in a number of unique and beneficial ways. 

TAXES

With the grazing lease, the deeded acreage qualifies for Agricultural Zoning, which keeps the annual taxes significantly lower than those properties that aren't zoned AG. 

LANDOWNER PREFERENCE PROGRAM

In order to apply for Big Game Landowner Tags in Colorado, you must own a minimum of 160 contiguous acres and it must be zoned Agricultural. Between the deeded acreage and zoning, Royal Springs Ranch qualifies for Mule Deer and Bear LPP tags (Elk are Over-The-Counter). 

INCOME

While the income generated from leasing the ranch out for grazing isn't earth-shattering, it does help pay for the property taxes, which as mentioned before, are relatively low for a property of this magnitude.

In addition, the ranch owns agricultural water rights to flood irrigate the large grass/hay fields located on the lower/flatter portion of the ranch. The grass that grows here currently supports the +/- 70 pair of cattle that graze the ranch for a few months out of the year. 

LOCATION

Royal Springs Ranch is located in the southern part of Routt County, a short drive to Oak Creek and Steamboat Springs, still being accessible year around. While getting here is fairly easy, you'll soon appreciate that Steamboat and Royal Springs Ranch is just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Denver and other nearby cities to avoid the weekend crowds that swarm other resort towns closer to the Front Range. That being said, one can take a beautiful drive from Denver International Airport and get to Steamboat Springs in +/-3 hours. You can also elect to fly into the Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Steamboat Springs, which offers daily flights from various major cities across the country and is only 45 miles door to door from Royal Springs Ranch.

SUMMARY

It's not hard to see Royal Springs Ranch truly is one of those properties that "has it all". So whether you're looking for a luxurious mountain retreat, incredible hunting property, corporate retreat, or full-time residence, you'll be investing in one of the sought-after ranches, in one of the most sought-after locations in the country.

Qualified Buyers should contact Mike Callan, Associate Broker with St. James Sporting Properties, to schedule a private showing of this unique property.