PROPERTY SUMMARY

LOCATION

The Double Heart Ranch is located in the Gunnison Valley only 26 miles east of Gunnison, Colorado surrounding the notable landmark, Tomichi Dome, and along the banks of Tomichi Creek. The property is surrounded by over 1.6 million of acres of the Gunnison National Forest, BLM and state land. The ranch can be accessed year-round from Highway 50 and County Road 887, which is a maintained gravel county road. Private and commercial air service is available in Gunnison (GUC), with routine flights to Denver, and depending on the season, flights to Houston and Dallas. The runway is 9,400’ by 150’. Denver International Airport (DIA) is the regional hub for domestic and international flights and is only four hours (215 miles) from the ranch.

The mountain community of Gunnison is oriented around ranching, tourism, and recreation and is home to a variety of restaurants, grocery stores, local shopping, community services and a hospital. The population of Gunnison County is approximately 17,000 people. The town of Crested Butte is located only 45 minutes from the property and offers additional cultural, dining and recreational options. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is known for its downhill skiing terrain and has 121 runs. Monarch Ski Area is a family-friendly resort located only ten miles east of the ranch on Monarch Pass crossing the Continental Divide and has 54 runs.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Fossil Ridge Wilderness Area, and Curecanti National Recreation area (home to three notable reservoirs – Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal Reservoir) are all easily accessible within a short drive from the ranch.

The ranch is located in close proximity to the following towns:

• Gunnison, Colorado -- 26 miles
• Crested Butte, Colorado -- 45 miles
• Montrose, Colorado -- 83 miles
• Aspen, Colorado -- 135 miles
• Vail, Colorado -- 150 miles
• Colorado Springs, Colorado -- 150 miles
• Grand Junction -- 170 miles
• Denver, Colorado -- 190 miles
• Durango, Colorado -- 235 miles

OPERATIONS

CATTLE -  The ranch has historically supported between 800-1,000 cows, 120 replacement heifers and 50 bulls. In the past, calving season began in early April and calves shipped around November. The operator would utilize the various leases associated with the ranch and would residually graze the hay meadows in the fall.

HAY PRODUCTION -  There are approximately 2,500 acres of hay meadows on the ranch, south of Highway 50 along Tomichi Creek and north of Highway 50 along Hot Springs Creek, that have historically produced a ton per acre. The ranch has an extensive list of equipment that could be sold with the property. The Double Heart has a treasure trove of irrigation water rights and substantial water rights in its two reservoirs totaling approximately 145 CFS and 988.6 acre-feet of storage water shares. These water rights provide an abundance irrigation water for the 2,500 acres of hay meadows. There has been extensive research by attorneys and engineers on the water rights and the research is available upon request.

HUNTING -  The ranch has not been commercially hunted in the past and has been limited to family and friends and the property is set up for an outstanding commercial hunting and outfitting operation. The Double Heart has historically qualified for 16 landowner preference mule deer licenses that could be utilized as an additional revenue source for the property. The current outfitter associated with the ranch holds a 250 square mile Special Use Permit which allows them to be the sole outfitter allowed to operate on this land. Depending on the qualifications of an owner/outfitter, this could potentially be utilized and associated with the property in the future. There is a resident herd of elk ranging from 500-800 head and an abundant population of trophy mule deer.

RANCH MANAGEMENT -  The ranch has been operated with both full-time and seasonal employees, along with several independent contractors for various property maintenance tasks. Most of the service business for ranch operations can be found in Gunnison and Montrose.

IMPROVEMENTS

MAIN LODGE The expansive 10,000 square foot main lodge was constructed in 1992, and later completely remodeled, and was designed to accommodate over 20 guests. The commercial kitchen and expansive dining room connecting with the main living room allow for catering to large groups of guests and family. There are several gathering spaces including a spacious living room, a pool table room, a secondary living room off of the primary suite, a smaller dining room attached to the kitchen, and a large mudroom off of the garage with storage and seating. There is an attached 3-car garage along with a separate heated shop with processing facilities and a commercial refrigerator and freezer for game.

GUEST HOUSE #1 - Located a short drive from the lodge, yet in a private location, this two-story, 4,500 square foot home has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an expansive living room with a rock fireplace, a stately kitchen, and a spacious upstairs loft. There is a two-car garage with a mudroom adjoining the house.

GUEST HOUSE #2 - This one level, 3,850 stucco home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms tucked away in the aspens a short drive down the road from the main lodge and other guest houses. The kitchen, dining area and living room centrally are centrally located with expansive view of Waunita Park.

GUEST HOUSE #3 - A two-story cabin-style home with 4,300 square feet. This house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a vaulted living room with an open-concept kitchen and dining area, an upstairs loft and attached game room and second living area.

HOT SPRINGS IMPROVEMENTS - The manager’s improvements are adjacent to County Road 887 with a home, barn, equipment storage and corrals. This home needs raised and replaced and the replacement home square footage enlarged by 25% under the terms of the conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy. There is an additional 40-acre tract of land not encumbered by this easement that an owner could utilize to build new improvements.

PLEASANT VIEW IMPROVEMENTS - A well-maintained manager’s home with 2,000 square feet with four bedrooms and two bathrooms is located on immediately on the south side of Highway 50. This headquarters has excellent farmstead improvements including corrals, multiple barns, covered livestock sheds, and equipment storage.

NEEDLE CREEK IMPROVEMENTS – These improvements are located on the southwest portion of the property off of County Road 22 and include two modest homes, several shops, barns, and hay storage buildings. The hay ground around the home is high fenced for wildlife.

SHOP & WORKING IMPROVEMENTS – The main ranch shop and equipment storage buildings are located on the north side of Highway 50 for year-round access and convenient proximity to all portions of the ranch. The property also has several additional corrals and working facilities south of the highway near the shop with livestock scales.

Lodge Tour

Guest House #1 Tour

Guest House #2 Tour

Guest House #3 Tour

Pleasant View Manager's House Tour

RECREATION

The wildlife and big game hunting on the ranch and in this area is plentiful and diverse. There are thriving populations of elk, mule deer, bear, moose, antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, small game and bird species. This property offers the opportunity to pursue bull elk that consistently average an impressive 330 to 385 inches, with the occasional trophy-sized elk pushing the boundaries even further. The ranch is also home to mule deer of exceptional quality, with some boasting antler measurements in excess of 200 inches. The terrain, rich forage, and strategic location ensure that these mule deer thrive, making the ranch a coveted destination for those in pursuit of these incredible creatures.

Historically, this property has also qualified for coveted landowner preference mule deer tags, making it a haven for both big game and small game hunting. With its strategic location, this ranch provides direct access to thousands of acres of public land, expanding the hunting and recreational possibilities. The ranch is located in Game Management Unit 551 (GMU). This area offers general elk licenses that do not require non-residents to accumulate preference points before drawing.

The ranch encompasses over 5 miles of both sides of Tomichi Creek through the meadows on the property and holds healthy populations of brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. In addition to Tomichi Creek, Hot Springs Creek flows through the property on the north of Highway 50. The additional fishing and live water recreation in the area is truly abundant with the Gunnison River, Taylor River, East River and the gold-medal Arkansas River. There is no shortage of opportunities to catch quality trout. Blue Mesa Reservoir nearby is known for its kokanee salmon population as well.

The ranch owns a snowcat, four wheelers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, UTVs, and is an exceptional horseback riding property.

CONSERVATION

There are two conservation easements on a small portion of the Double Heart Ranch. The first, on the south side of Highway 50, covers 320 +/- acres and is held by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and allows hunting, fishing, farming, grazing and recreating. There is a 5-acre building envelope encompassing the existing improvements and this easement allows for the repair or replacement of those improvements in addition to the construction of an additional single-family residence, a guest bunkhouse/residence and additional agricultural buildings.

The second easement, on a portion of hay ground along County Road 887 and Hot Springs Creek, covers 900 +/- acres and is held by The Nature Conservancy, with a focus on protecting the Gunnison sage-grouse leks. The improvements consist of a barn/equipment shop, corrals, and a single-family home. An owner could replace these improvements, as well as build new on a 40 +/-acre parcel on the west side of the Hot Springs parcel that is unencumbered by the easement.

These portions of the ranch practically could not have been developed anyway due to the heavy irrigation of the meadows and floodplain along the creeks. The Double Heart Ranch is ripe for taking advantage of further conservation easements due to its incredible development value and the diversity of wildlife and game corridors, live water and habitat throughout the property.

LEASES & TAXES

The ranch is further benefitted by approx. 25,880 acres of associated Bureau of Land Management, State of Colorado and Forest Service grazing and hunting leases. The leases and permits have a variety of use timeframes but generally run from the beginning of June through the end of September or beginning of October. Please contact our office for more information on these leases.

• BLM - Pleasant View Allotment 49 AUMs
• BLM - Hot Springs Creek Allotment 25 AUMs
• Forest Service - Black Sage 200 AUMs
• Forest Service - North Tomichi Dome 120 AUMs
• Forest Service - Prosser-Tomichi Dome 60 AUMs
• Forest Service - Rock Allotment 195 AUMs
• State of Colorado 88 AUMs

The 2023 property taxes amounted to $49,675.00.