Tolland Ranch

• 3.5 +/- miles of South Boulder Creek frontage
• 16 ponds throughout the property
• 14.13 miles of Roosevelt National Forest Adjaceny and Boulder County Open Space
• Rare adjacency to James Peak Wilderness
• Water rights
• Adjoins Eldora Ski Area and has Nordic lease and other leases with the ski area
• Fly fishing opportunities in the river and ponds
• The trail system on the ranch and the adjoining National Forest, including Rollins Pass trail, provides access to the Continental Divide, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, and Winter Park
• A centennial ranch owned by the same family for over 100 years
• Multiple income-generating leases with Eldora Ski Area, fishing club, and cattle lease
• 40 minutes from Boulder, 15 minutes from Eldora, and one hour from Denver
• Multiple existing structures, including a newly renovated cabin and a historic schoolhouse
• The property is encumbered by a conservation easement with the Colorado State Forest Service

Several photographs of Tolland Ranch were taken by Camera Head Media.

The Tolland Ranch consists of approximately 3,334 +/- deeded acres in Boulder and Gilpin Counties, and includes 3.5 +/- miles of the headwaters of South Boulder Creek. The historic Tolland Ranch represents one of the last remaining intact and significant holdings in this region of Colorado and was once a stop for trains traveling over Rollins Pass and through the Moffat Tunnel. The ranch has a rich history and lineage of ownership not seen in many ranches and has been protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement.

Location

The Tolland Ranch sits just south of Eldora ski area, east of the Continental Divide and the Moffat Tunnel,  only 10 minutes from Nederland, and is accessed year-round via the Tolland Road to the south and seasonally by forest access roads to the north.

The property enjoys extraordinary, unencumbered views of the snow-capped James Peak and James Peak Wilderness. It rises from 8,000 feet in the riparian meadows to nearly 13,000 ft. at its highest point. Buckeye Mountain and Tennessee Mountain sit within the property’s boundaries along with the village of Tolland.

The ranch property is located in a high mountain, rural, and agricultural valley along the Peak-to-Peak Highway corridor with abundant wildlife, scenic mountain, and valley views, a myriad of outdoor recreational options, and unrivaled privacy and frontage along both sides of South Boulder Creek.

Locale

The property combines high alpine areas, mountainous riparian corridors, pine tree groves, rolling hills, grasslands, wetlands, and conifer forests. The property consists of two main parcels, the 1300-acre Lower Ranch along South Boulder Creek and the 2034-acre Upper Ranch to the north near Eldora Ski Area, which takes in most of Buckeye Mountain,  ranging from 8,680 feet to 10,120 feet in elevation.

The southern portion of Tolland Ranch contains South Boulder Park, a broad montane parkland centered on South Boulder Creek.

The northern portion of the ranch is a mountainous upland centered on Buckeye Mountain and the west flank of Tennessee Mountain. For a better understanding of the upper portion of the ranch and its network of trails, click here.

The Property is located in the South Boulder Creek Watershed, its primary drainage. It drains from west to east and peaks in June. In addition to South Boulder Creek, Jenny Creek, Jenny Lind Gulch, and Black Canyon flow through different parts of the ranch.

Improvements

Multiple existing improvements are on the property, as well as four different homesites (D Dot, West Meadow, Milliron, Buckeye, Baltimore). While some are historic improvements, two have recently been updated, including Kit Carson and the Schoolhouse. 

The property has internal and external fencing, especially along the public roads and railroad tracks.

History

This area of Boulder and Gilpin County is a part of Colorado’s mineral belt and was mined for gold and silver in the 1800s when Tolland was known as Mammoth Gulch.  In 1893, Colorado’s former Attorney General, Charles Hansen Toll, purchased the land and left it to his widow Katherin Wolcott Toll who then renamed the area Tolland after her ancestral home in Tolland, England. 

In the early twentieth century, Tolland was a popular summer resort town. It was home to an opera house, saloon, the Toll Inn (built in 1904), a dance pavilion, and a popular train stop on the “Moffat Line.” 

A few historic buildings remain on the property today, including the newly renovated Schoolhouse (built in 1906), the renovated Kit Carson Cabin (built in 1907), and the Eastward and Westward Ho Cabins (built in 1915).

Climate

Average High: 52 Degrees

Average Low: 26 Degrees

Average Annual Precipitation: 25 in.

Average Annual Snowfall: 197 in.

Hunting

Hunting has historically been allowed on the Property for family and guests. The property sits within GMU 29 and is home to mule deer and elk herds.

Fishing

In addition, a portion of the Property is leased to the South Boulder Park Ecological Association Fishing Club. The fishing club has access to the creek and adjacent ponds on the ranch road north of the Yellow Schoolhouse, sometimes stocked with brook trout.

Hiking

The property adjoins Roosevelt National Forest and James Peak Wilderness Area. Both areas have numerous trailheads and hiking trails, which can be accessed via Mammoth Gulch Road, Rollins Pass Road, and Magnolia.

Skiing

The neighboring Eldora Ski Area offers uphill, downhill, and 40 kilometers of cross-country skiing (most located on the Ranch).

Ranch Operations

The owners lease out a portion of the ranch for grazing.

Water Rights

Multiple wells, springs, and water rights are connected to the property, including those that fill the numerous ponds.

Eldora 

The owners of Tolland Ranch have an existing lease with Eldora Ski Area on the upper portion of the Ranch for the trails of their Nordic Ski Area. This lease not only generates substantial income for the Ranch, but Eldora also assists with managing the forest of the upper portion. Eldora recently celebrated its 60 year anniversary and is known as Boulder County’s backyard ski area.

Conservation Value

The property is encumbered by a conservation easement held through the Colorado State Forest Service to protect the area’s scenic, rural, and natural character. Tolland Ranch is home to significant forest, wildlife, and bird habitat, including biodiversity needed by elk, mule deer, coyotes, fox, weasels, hawks, moose, and mountain lions.

There are approximately 100 elk that use the property as a transitional range and surrounding forests for calving. This herd is a part of the Winiger Ridge herd that generally revisits the property from April to July and then returns to James Peak Wilderness.