Duckett Creek Ranch

• Beautiful secluded location 
• Gracious 4,500 sq ft luxury log-built headquarters residence
• Two gorgeous spring-fed fishing ponds
• Spectacular views of Pikes Peak
• Surrounded by USFS lands
• Trailhead access out the front door
• Abundant wildlife with resident elk, mule deer, and turkeys
• Protected by a Deed of Conservation Easement held by Colorado Open Lands, a statewide land trust based in Lakewood, Colorado
• Significant income potential 

Located near Westcliffe, CO in the quiet north end of the spectacular Wet Mountain Valley, the 400-acre Duckett Creek Ranch is a beautiful conservation property at the base of the renowned Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  With breathtaking views of Pikes Peak to the east, the ranch is surrounded by USFS lands and graced with a mix of aspen, gambel oak, and mixed conifer forest lands.  A tributary of Texas Creek and the Arkansas River, Duckett Creek flows through the heart of the property down through a stunning meadow, surrounded by montane forests that are home to resident herds of elk, mule deer, wild turkeys, black bear, and mountain lion. The ranch is protected by a Deed of Conservation Easement over the entire 400 acres and allows for an additional future building envelope. A conservation legacy with attractive income potential, Duckett Creek Ranch is an excellent long-term investment opportunity.

Several Photographs of Duckett Creek Ranch were taken by Preston Hoffman Media.

This lovely mountain ranch sits at the foot of the San Isabel National Forest on the gently sloping alluvial plain where the trees open out into grassland…a unique transition zone between the forested slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the verdant hay ground of the valley bottom. A wide variety of wildlife utilize Duckett Creek Ranch as essential year-round and seasonal habitat. Elk, mule deer, and antelope are regularly seen grazing the property, and a number of upland bird species reside on the ranch during the warmer months.

Improvements  

The ranch is anchored by a beautiful fully furnished, single-level, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 4,500 sf luxury log home with an attached 3-car garage with fully modern and updated amenities. The kitchen, dining, and great room command spectacular views of Pikes Peak to the east, with an easily accessed outdoor living room, spa patio, and nearby pond. With radiant floor propane heating, a modern kitchen, media room, and well-appointed office space, the home offers a contemporary living experience in a secluded rural setting.

The Guest House/Manager’s home is an ~2,800 sq/ft split-level live/work unit that can comfortably sleep 10 with 2.5 baths and an attached two-car garage/workshop.  The guest house shares an extended driveway with the main house, and commands its own extraordinary views of Pikes Peak and surrounds. The guest house could easily be equipped for short-term rentals and/or seasonal hunting drop-camp.

The main headquarters also includes a ~1,700 sq ft open-faced steel equipment shed and an ~600 sq ft enclosed 2-bay workshop/garage.

Location

Duckett Creek Ranch, is a 20-minute drive from the friendly and scenic town of Westcliffe, in Custer County, CO. The majestic Sangre de Cristo Range looms out the backdoor as do thousands of acres of protected public USFS lands to the West.

Locale

Westcliffe, Colorado (Population: 1,100) is home to several great restaurants, a grocery store, a hardware store, motels, movie theater, bowling alley, and most other major services. Canon City and Pueblo, Colorado with all services including hospital, big box retail, and many hotels and restaurants are both ~ 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 are right out the backdoor of the ranch. Hunting and fishing are abundant both on and 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 half an hour away and are renowned for their 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°

Given its remarkable location, Duckett Creek Ranch is a recreational paradise. The ranch enjoys a host of year-round activities accessible directly from/on the property.  With hunting, fishing, backcountry skiing, snowmobiling, boating/floating, horseback riding, hiking, and access to miles of BLM and nearby USFS and trails right out the back door. With a diversity of habitat types including sub-alpine forests, grasslands, hidden riparian side drainages, and quiet valley bottoms, the ranch is a sportsperson’s paradise.

Hunting

While not actively hunted in a number of years, the Duckett Creek Ranch is located in the highly productive Game Management Unit (GMU) 86, and is home to numerous elk, mule deer, antelope, and wild turkeys. The three ponds on the property are seasonally stocked with trout and additionally provide excellent habitat for ducks and geese year round.

Fishing

The two adjudicated ponds described above are stocked with rainbow trout and host the occasional brook trout.  On any given day an angler can expect to catch either or both on the same outing. The ponds have not been stocked for a number of years and the current fishing is still quite good.  It’s worth noting the ponds were last stocked in 2016 with some of the rainbows now in excess of four lbs.  

While originally run as a working cattle ranch, the pastures have been leased out seasonally in recent years and managed more as a haven for wildlife. Up until COVID there was a full-time, year-round onsite manager on the ranch.  The seasonal grazing is an important component of the forest health and fire mitigation measures taken on the ranch property.  There has been little to no hunting on the property for more than twenty years.

The ranch controls senior rights in both the Short Creek and Duckett Creek ditches for irrigation on the ranch, though all hay production has been converted to seasonal pasture irrigation.  There are two ponds on the ranch both of which allow for stock water storage and irrigation.