Cross D Bar Ranch

Located in the western foothills of Colorado’s secluded Wet Mountains near Westcliffe, CO, the 692-acre Cross D Bar Ranch is a spectacularly sited expanse of mountain parkland. With breathtaking views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the West, the ranch is graced with the mixed terrain and vegetation that typify Colorado’s Front Range foothills mountain park ecosystem. The upper headwaters of Hardscrabble Creek flow through the heart of a stunning meadow, surrounded by subalpine forest made up of lodgepole and ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and aspen stands. The ranch is protected by a Deed of Conservation Easement held by Colorado Open Lands.  The easement covers 627 acres of the ranch and allows for two additional future building envelopes (see map). Historically developed as a remote RV campground and recreational mountain retreat, the ranch boasts substantial commercial-grade infrastructure and utilities located in the strategic center of the property. A beautiful conservation achievement with significant development potential, the Cross D Bar Ranch is an excellent long-term investment opportunity.

Several photographs of Cross D Bar Ranch are taken by Camera Head Media.

Improvements

There are two homes on the ranch, a rustic 3,000 sq. ft. log built headquarters residence, and a 1,300 sq. ft. managers home. Additionally there is a 3,000 sq. ft. Quonset barn/mechanic’s shop and a full set of working pens for livestock.

In the 1990s, the ranch was developed as a remote recreational 18-unit RV campground retreat. The campground was very popular and well known for providing wheelchair access to handicapped outdoor and fishing enthusiasts. The commercial camping infrastructure includes two robust wells, septic, and fully operational office, laundry and shower facilities.

Location

Cross D Bar Ranch, is a 20 minute drive from the friendly and scenic town of Westcliffe, in Custer County, Colo. The majestic Sangre de Cristo Range looms five miles as a crow flies to the West.

Locale

Westcliffe, Colo. (Population: 4,255) is home to several great restaurants, a grocery store, a hardware store, motels, movie theater, bowling alley, and most other major services. Pueblo, Colo. with all services including hospital, big box retail, and many hotels and restaurants is a 45 minute drive from the ranch. Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, with nonstop service to more than 11 major U.S. cities, is an hour and 20 minute drive.

The Wet Mountain Valley affords outdoor enthusiasts an incredible array of activities with hundreds of miles of the San Isabel National Forest and BLM lands in all directions. Numerous trailheads for hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing, ATV, and snowmobile access. Hunting and fishing are abundant both on an off the property; Dewesse and San Isabel Reservoirs are less than 30 minutes from the ranch; the Arkansas River and the world famous Royal Gorge are a half an hour away and are renown for the excellent fishing, thrilling white water rafting, and incredible scenery. Ski Monarch is an hour’s drive, and over what many argue is one of Colorado’s most scenic highways, the Great Sand Dunes National Park is on the other (west) side of the Sangre de Cristo range an hour and a half drive from the ranch.

Climate

• Rainfall (in.): 14.4
• Snowfall (in): 49.4
• Precipitation Days: 82
• Sunny Days: 283
• Avg. July High: 85°
• Avg. Jan High: 42°

Hunting

While not actively hunted in a number of years, the Cross D Bar Ranch is located in the highly productive Game Management Unit (GMU) 84, and is home to antelope, mule deer, elk, and wild turkeys. The three man-made ponds on the property were historically seasonally stocked with trout and additionally provide excellent habitat for a diversity of both terrestrial and avian wildlife with ducks and geese using the ponds year round.

Fishing

The ponds described above can be stocked with both trout and small mouth bass; on any given day an angler can expect to catch either or both on the same outing. The ponds have not been stocked for many years and the current fishing viability is unknown.

Conservation Values

MRG and Colorado Open Lands are pleased to announce the permanent protection of the Cross D Bar Ranch near Westcliffe, Colorado. The working lands and scenic open space Conservation Easement will protect 627 acres of this scenic ranch located in the rolling foothills of the Wet Mountains east of Westcliffe. The easement is made possible through a generous gift of the Mandel Family in honor of the legacy of their father, Richard H. Mandel Jr., and his great love of the ranch.