Sevens Ranch

The Sevens Ranch is a working ranch with incredible senior water rights and substantial BLM and State grazing permits spanning over 77,0000 acres that connect the 18,205 deeded acres. The connection of the leased and deeded ground makes the ranch a contiguous piece that supports the overall operation of the ranch. The property is a well-balanced operation with existing handling and operational facilities and housing. In addition to the agricultural components, the ranch sits in GMU 10 and 11, prime habitat for big game including elk, mule deer, and antelope, and is home to one of the largest migratory elk herds in North America.

Located in northwestern Colorado, the outstanding Sevens Ranch is a working ranch offering 3.3 miles of the Yampa River. The ranch is blessed with valuable water rights and the 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 on the Yampa River Basin and by themselves represent a long-term investment opportunity.

Locale

The Sevens 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 grocery stores, hotels, and medical care.

Climate

Climatically and biologically, the Sevens 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. 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.

Hunting

The high desert lower portion of the ranch contains critical range for big game offering trophy hunting for elk, mule deer, and antelope. The Sevens Ranch 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.

Ranch Operations

The Sevens Ranch is a well-balanced sheep and cattle operation with two homes, livestock handling facilities, water resources, and grazing. Along with 18,205 acres of deeded irrigated and grazing land, the ranch also has a public land grazing lease that permits 6,000 AUMs on adjoining 77,000 acres of leased BLM and State lands. The ranch is primarily used as winter pasture for sheep and cattle. It has two homes for employee housing including a 1,920 sq. ft. 2-story home with 5 bedrooms. 2 baths; another 1,663 sq.t. employee home with 3 bedrooms, and 1 ¾ baths; 7,500 Mortenson shop with 3,000 feet enclosed; calving barn and corrals.

Water Rights

Water is king on the Sevens Ranch and offers 3.3 miles of the Yampa River. The ranch has valuable and historic water rights irrigating over 751 acres with approximately 300 acres under pivot which produce alfalfa and native grass. Most of the water is pumped directly out of the adjoining Yampa River
More details are available to qualified prospects.

Conservation Values

This is truly one of the most unique ranches in the West and it is spectacular in its beauty, geology, history, recreation, and wildlife habitat. In December 2014, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, along with multiple other organizations, established a 16,000-conservation easement to protect key sage grouse habitat on the Sevens Ranch, which is part of Cross Mountain Ranch. This effort was a part of the larger state-wide attempt to preserve grouse habitat supported by Governor John Hickenlooper, who said, “Thanks to the family of Cross Mountain Ranch and their neighboring ranch families, we’re seeing the power of voluntary conservation to keep the vast sage grouse lands intact where it matters most in our state and nationally.”