Twisted Gulch Ranch

Tropic, Utah is an iconic western town nestled in the landscape of south-central Utah.  The town is located off Utah scenic Hwy 12, part of Utah’s Heritage Highway system.  In addition to its proximity to Bryce Canyon, there are three state parks and a national monument all within a few miles of town, including Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest, Anasazi Indian Village, and the Grand Staircase National Monument. Just outside of downtown Tropic is the Twisted Gulch Ranch. With 244 deeded acres and access to tens of thousands of acres of Utah’s backcountry, the ranch offers plenty of opportunities to recreate, hunt, and ranch.  The current owners designed a home that overlooks irrigated pastures and provides 360-degree views of the classic southern Utah landscape. The ranch features its own assortment of washes, draws, smaller buttes, pastures and hosts a variety of native flora and fauna.  Twisted Gulch is within a 4-hour drive from both Salt Lake and Las Vegas and is within a 1 to 4-hour drive of Utah’s mighty five National Parks: Canyonlands, Arches, Zions, Bryce, and Capitol Reef.  Small ranching communities in southern Utah have yet to be discovered by the masses. Twisted Gulch is a great opportunity for those looking to set roots in a small, classic western community.

Entry to the ranch is off Highway 12, just outside of Tropic.  There are 2 gated entrances that cross the Paria River wash and meet at the original homestead, corral, and hay storage.  The entry road to the main home is surrounded on both sides by pastures.  The road gradually rises to a small knoll where the owners have built a 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, 3 level home.  The home boasts spectacular views down the valley towards Cope Canyon and west towards Bryce Canyon National Park and Shakespear Point.  The home was built with insulated concrete forms and is serviced by all utilities including electric, propane, water (via well), septic plus great phone and internet connection. Almost half of the ranch consists of irrigated and fenced pasture and the balance of the property is dominated by hillsides, draws and smaller washes covered by pinyon pine, cedar, and sagebrush.  Spectacular cliffs and canyons border the back of the property which are adjacent to tens of thousands of acres of Utah backcountry. The elevation of the property is approximately 6,400 and ranges up to over 6,600 at the higher reaches.

Recreation

Southern Utah is a hikers and bikers’ paradise.  There are 5 National Parks within a few hours of Tropic and owners of Twisted Gulch have endless opportunities for backcountry hiking from the property or up the road in Bryce Canyon Wilderness Area. There are miles of surrounding trails for backcountry horseback riding. The ranch previously served as home to a breeder of American Paint horses – the pasture, water, and weather make for an ideal location for a horse ranch. Tropic Reservoir offers additional hiking, canoeing, and fishing opportunities.  Winter activities include winter hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing as well as fat biking in and around Bryce Canyon National Park.  Ruby’s Inn hosts the annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival.   

Fishing & Hunting

Southcentral Utah offers excellent hunting for elk, deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, bear, bobcat, and turkey.  The owners have hunted the ranch and adjacent public land. Deer and elk frequent the ranch, as do turkey and chukar. There are opportunities to hunt mountain lion in the adjacent backcountry with local guides.  As with most ranching properties with an abundance of nearby wildlife, there is potential to grow wildlife population in conjunction with ranching and grazing operations. There are also several ponds on the property that draw in watering wildlife. There are great local guides in Tropic for both hunting and fishing.  The area offers fly fishing for rainbow, brook, cutthroat, and German Brown Trout.  Panguitch Lake, Pine Lake, and Posey Lake, along with Tropic and many mountain reservoirs provide fishing opportunities year-round.

Ranch Operations

The ranch has the capacity to run about 100 + head of cattle year-round.  The owners typically get 3 1/2 cuts of hay (alfalfa or grass) per year and graze cattle in the pastures as well as range ground.

Water Rights

Ownership of the ranch includes 500 shares of valuable Tropic & East Fork Irrigation Company.  These shares can be sold separately. In addition, there are 5 ponds on the property that fill up with early water rights and serve as backup irrigation. Irrigating is done through a pressurized system. The current owners have done a great job in maintaining the irrigation infrastructure and pastures.