Lily Park Ranch

An ecological and geological jewel, Lily Park Ranch lies west of Craig, Colorado near Cross Mountain and the entrance to the Dinosaur National Monument in Moffat County. The ranch is a hunter’s paradise at the confluence of the Yampa River and the Snake River. The area is known for its critical range for big game including elk, mule deer, and antelope, and is home to one of the largest migratory elk herds in North America. Cross Mountain towers above the irrigated fields and pastures of the ranch. The ranch consists of 9,305 deeded acres that adjoin and are intermixed with over 35,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management and State land, on which they hold grazing permits for sheep and cattle.

Located in an astonishingly beautiful and serene river corridor adjoining thousand-foot-high yellow and red sandstone canyon walls, the Yampa River winds its way through Lily Park Ranch for 8.5 miles and the Little Snake River for 5.85 miles, and the confluence of the Yampa River and Little Snake River occurs on the property as well. The ranch is blessed with valuable water rights and owners are entitled to pull water directly from the river to irrigate meadows and pastures that rest alongside the rivers. These rights are recognized as some of the most senior water rights in the Yampa River Basin and by themselves represent a long-term investment opportunity.

Locale

The Lily Park Ranch is just west of the cowboy town of Craig, the county seat of Moffat County, where one can find all the conveniences of town including a grocery, hotels, and medical care.

The Yampa River is one of the last largely natural and untamed river ecosystems in the entire Colorado River drainage. The river canyon is extremely popular with white-water boaters and the river contains unique and endangered fish species. Adjoining the ranch to the west downstream on the Yampa is Dinosaur National Monument with its colorful sandstone canyons and cliffs rivaling those of the Grand Canyon and encompassing some of the nation’s richest archaeological resources.

Spanning western Colorado and eastern Utah, Dinosaur National Monument exists in the cradle of North American history. Captured here is one of the world’s largest concentrations of fossilized dinosaur bones. and includes over 210,000 acres of scenic river canyons, mountains, basins, and archeological sites. The area includes an interesting blend of wildlife, wilderness, solitude, and history that has changed little over the last 1,000 years.

Climate

Climatically and biologically the Lily Park Ranch is part of the Great Basin Desert, but its weather, plants, and animals are more diverse than the term desert suggests. Surrounded by high-elevation peaks the climate is Mediterranean with high relative humidity and moderate seasonal moisture. Summer temperatures can range from 60 to 90 degrees but in the winter the temperatures can drop from 32 degrees to zero. Sunlight warming the canyon walls contributes to the thermal warming of the soils and bedrock at the base of cliffs. This is desert or semi-desert and it is dry with average annual precipitation from a low of 10 inches to up to 13 inches depending on altitude.

The least dammed river in the Colorado Basin, the Yampa flows 250 miles from the Flat Tops Wilderness to the Green River, in Dinosaur National Monument. Along the way, it nourishes one of the finest riparian corridors in the West, including extensive cottonwood forests along the middle and lower rivers. This rich corridor of the lower Yampa is home to elk, mountain lion, coyote, mule deer, beavers, and numerous songbird species.

Hunting

The high desert lower portion of the ranch contains a critical range for big game offering trophy hunting for elk, mule deer, and antelope. The eanch is located within Unit 10, a draw-only trophy area, and also Unit 11 which offers over-the-counter archery and rifle tags for elk. This section of the ranch is also home to herds of antelope.

Rafting

The Yampa River is the last undammed tributary of the Colorado River system, and its free-flowing waters surge through cauldrons of big, untamed Class III and IV rapids. For three months a year (May-July), the Yampa River flows free with fresh, surging run-off from miles above carrying paddlers through colorful canyons. The 1,200-foot-deep vertical-walled Cross Mountain Canyon, renowned for its white water and Class V rapids adjoins the ranch and one can put in just above the canyon and take out below all while staying on the property. The put-in access for the coveted rafting trips down the Yampa River to the confluence of the Green River is within the Monument.

Ranch Operations

Lily Park Ranch has 9,305 deeded acres of designated grazing land, the ranch also has a public land grazing lease that permits 1,300 AUMs on adjoining public land. It also has employee housing and a shop.

Water Rights

Water is king on the Lily Park Ranch and offers 8.5 miles of the Yampa River and 6 miles of the Little Snake River. The ranch has valuable and historic water rights that are 36.67 cfs and currently irrigates approximately 676 acres of meadows and pastures that rest alongside these rivers. More details are available to qualified prospects.