New Listing at Eagle Ridge Ranch near Gunnison Colorado

This is the one. Arguably the best of Eagle Ridge Ranch homesteads.

Enjoy your own 35+ acre ranchland parcel, the river, private fishing, incredible views and access to everything including prime hunting and trout fishing, 4-wheeling, snowmobiling, horseback riding, nordic skiing, hiking, and mountain biking.

The homesite for Eagle Ridge Ranch’s Lot #13 sits above the 100 year flood plain and the water rights and well permit are fully established.

Be a part of this historic 4900 acre Colorado working ranch, forever protected from further development by conservation easements.

Eagle Ridge Ranch is surrounded by National Forest, the West Elk Wilderness Area, BLM, and a State Wildlife Area.

The lower part of the ranch features 15 homesites, many with river frontage along Ohio Creek. To preserve privacy and maximize viewsheds, all of the homesites are separated by hay meadows and open spaces, all with expansive views of surrounding peaks.

Eagle Ridge Ranch is located within the highly desirable Game Management Unit 54 where elk, deer, and black bear thrive.

Owner amenities include over 2 miles of improved trout stream, a rearing pond, equestrian center, and full-time ranch manager.  Two private cabins are reserved for owner use in the Ranch’s primitive area.

The active ranch operation has income from substantial haymeadow production and pasture leases. 

Eagle Ridge Ranch is the first homestead ranch of it’s kind to receive the State of Colorado Governor’s Award for Smart Growth.

History of Eagle Ridge Ranch

 Encompassing 4900 acres of lush valley floor, meadows, and forest, Eagle Ridge Ranch is located in the spectacular Ohio Creek Valley of central Colorado.

Before permanent settlers arrived in the late 1800s, the valley was the summer home to Native Americans who hunted and fished the verdant valley and surrounding mountains.

Arriving in the late 1800s, the first homesteaders also saw the potential of this fertile valley. In order to irrigate the valley floor they obtained abundant water from the river, creeks, and springs. They grew hay for cattle, and soon the Ohio Creek river basin became a prime supplier for the growing mining industry in Crested Butte.  Several of the ranch’s old barns and outbuildings date back to the 1880s.

Later, the Ohio Creek Valley was served by a railroad spur and the old grade is still visible snaking through the Eagle Ridge meadows.

The red barns located at Eagle Ridge Ranch are now the Ranch’s headquarters. There are still a few ranchers in the valley who can remember when these same barns were the scene of high dollar livestock auctions.

In 1994, Lee and Jerry Dusa fell in love with the beauty of the Ohio Creek Valley and sought to fulfill the dream of owning a true Rocky Mountain homestead ranch.  They soon realized there were others who shared the same dream, so they created one of the first homestead developments in Gunnison County offering homesteads of deeded 35 acre ranch parcels that included common ownership of the remaining ranchland and primitive forests.

The idea was to maintain the property as a working ranch, a haven for wildlife, and a diverse recreational opportunity while protecting all of the pristine 4900 acres under a conservation covenant.

Eagle Ridge Ranch won first Governor’s Award for Smart Growth from the State of Colorado.