Strawberry Creek, after which the ranch is so named, is a small, perennial stream that bisects the ranch and supplies most of its water. It is a tributary to the White River, with that river forming the primary drainage for the area’s defining watershed, covering almost 4,000 square miles in this part of northwest Colorado. The ranch lies within rural Rio Blanco County, which is characterized by its agricultural economy, recreational opportunities – especially hunting and fishing – and scenic western vistas, with the high alpine country of the Flattops to the east, and more arid, lower elevation canyon and sage expanses to the west. At 6,100 feet, Strawberry Creek Ranch essentially sits in the transition zone between these two landscapes, providing it with a pleasant, agriculturally-productive, four season climate, and a lot of recreational options all year long.
Locale
Located in northwest Colorado near Meeker, Strawberry Creek Ranch is easily accessible near the intersection of two well-maintained, paved rural roads, CO Hwy 64 and County Rd 7, just a five-minute drive from town. Meeker has a couple restaurants, a grocery store, medical center, lodging, and a well-managed airport (with a 6,500-ft runway, suitable for most aircraft). It is less than sixty minutes from the ranch to Glenwood Springs and ninety minutes to skiing in Steamboat Springs, both perennial members of “Best Sporting Towns in the West” lists. It is also two hours to world famous Aspen/Snowmass and its resorts and thirty minutes to Rifle and big box retail and an I-70 interchange, making the ranch also convenient to the private Rifle/Garfield County Airport (40 min) and Grand Junction (75 min). The Hayden/Steamboat Airport, approximately one hour away, is the nearest commercial airport with connections to major cities. Denver is a four-hour drive.
Improvements
Structures on the ranch include a charming, turn-of-the-century brick main residence with four bedrooms that is surrounded by large shade trees. Two other humble modular homes are elsewhere on the property and rented occasionally, often to hunters in the fall. The ranch operations area near the main residence has numerous accessory ag buildings and equipment – garages, sheds, barns, and corrals.
Climate
- Annual Rainfall (in.): 14.0
- Annual Snowfall (in.): 85
- Precipitation Days: 84
- Sunny Days: 238
- Avg. July High (deg F): 85°
- Avg. Jan. Low (deg F): 9°