The Discovery Channel founder channeled his curiosity and affinity for nature when building his personal ranch on thousands of acres in rural Colorado. Now, that mega ranch has been parsed into three separate listings for the first time, with prices up to $45 million.
John Hendricks selected the small western slope Colorado town of Gateway for a vacation home. He built a 22,676-square-foot residence on what he’d call the West Creek Ranch in 2002, which is now listed for $45 million and has 1,056 acres with red rocks, riverbanks and desert plains.
Two other ranches owned by Hendricks recently hit the market at the same time: the 5,794-acre Sky Mesa Ranch listed for $19 million, and the 937-acre Unaweep Canyon Ranch for $7.5 million.
Listing agent Haley Mirr of Mirr Ranch Group said Hendricks is known to have put Gateway “on the map.” After developing his ranch, Hendricks developed a luxury resort nearby, the Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa.
“It’s this mecca of ATVing, backpacking, rafting down the Dolores [River], and what’s really neat is if you take the road from Gateway up towards Sky Mesa ... you can reach Moab from the property” across the Colorado-Utah border, said Mirr.
Hendricks’ main ranch and home were initially listed in 2017 for $149 million, but the entire collection of ranches, structures and even the resort hit the market for $279 million in 2019. That price tag also included a collection of 50 vintage cars, fossils, an airplane hangar, helipads and an office building.
This is the first time all three ranches have been split up and listed for sale, confirmed Mirr. The resort is not included in any of the three listings, and Hendricks has since sold his car collection.
“In a perfect world, someone would love to buy all three because it would be a really cool package, but we also understand all three might speak to three different types of people, which is why we’re helping him find those next stewards,” said Mirr.
Tallied up, the three ranches total $71.5 million.
Mirr Group specializes in selling ranch properties similar to this portfolio, and many ultra-high-net-worth buyers consider these listings solid investments and retreat properties.
“It’s a very stable investment and a lot of people are diversifying assets and putting money into ranches because it has always been a safe place to put your money,” said Mirr. “The markets are reacting to a lot of global things and land has always been consistent.”
What’s in each listing
West Creek Ranch is the priciest listing at $45 million. It comes with Hendricks’ original home, designed by architect Jamie Daugaard of Centre Sky Architecture, in addition to a two-bedroom guest house, livestock and equestrian facilities, a grass airstrip and hangar, fishing ponds, and maintenance and storage buildings. Ownership of the land also provides private access to the Dolores River for fishing, rafting or motorized vehicles.
Hendricks reportedly used a ranch he owned to hold executive retreats at some point, though it's unclear which ranch.
The four-level home includes eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms in an adobe style with natural materials that blend into the canyon side. Some furnishings will be included, and buyers can inquire about purchasing Hendricks’ helicopter and separately about the ranch’s bison and horses.
The home has an infinity pool, observatory accessible from the primary bedroom, fully equipped gym, art studio, theater, helipad and library. Some furnishings will come with the home.
There are virtually no limitations on the ranch. Hunting is also a bonus for the land, said Mirr, who noted the area is part of Colorado Unit 61, denoting a “cream of the crop” for elk, mule deer, bears and mountain lions.
Sky Mesa Ranch is part of Unit 60 with access to the Manti-La Sal National Forest, said Mirr. This ranch is listed for $19 million and is located on the Colorado and Utah border. It’s the closest of the three ranches to the La Sal Mountains, and its land includes meadows, creeks, the Ponderosa Forest, ponds and springs. A section of the ranch is protected by the Nature Conservancy.
The ranch includes a 2,300-square-foot log-style cabin with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a detached garage and helipad. This ranch was also Hendricks' personal property.
Unaweep Canyon Ranch is priced at $7.5 million for 937 acres with a 105-acre section of Unaweep Canyon protected by the Mesa Land Trust. In that section is the Driggs Mansion, a ruin of a one-story sandstone house built around 1918. This land was used as the barn and land for the Gateway Canyon Resort and Spa.
Located in Unit 61, Unaweep allows big-game hunting. The land has horseback riding trails that scale 1,500 feet in elevation. It also includes a log-style rustic cabin with an equestrian barn.