Ranch of the Rockies

Welcome to Ranch of the Rockies

Welcome to the neighborhood! If you’re a new or prospective property owner in Ranch of the Rockies, this guide was created for you for several reasons: to help acquaint you with the amenities of South Park and the surrounding areas of our community, to provide information useful to newcomers with some tips for living at 9200 ft., and to inform you about the Ranch of the Rockies Planned Community.

The Ranch of the Rockies lies on the southwest edge of South Park valley and comprises approximately 7000 acres with 1501 lots ranging from 2 to 44 acres. There are approximately 500 homes on the Ranch with about 300 families living here year ‘round. The average altitude is 9200 ft.

South Park valley is rich with history. The entire valley is fifty-five miles long and thirty-five miles wide. It is the third in a chain of mountain valleys: North Park, Middle Park and South Park which run down the middle of Colorado. The floor of the valley varies from 8500-10,000ft. The original name given to the western part of the valley by the Spaniards was Valle Salado (Salt Valley). The French explorers and trappers later used the name Bayou Salade (from the Creole) and lastly the American mountain men called it Bayou Salado.

The chain of mountains seen from Ranch of the Rockies lying south and west of Hoosier Pass is the Mosquito Range. Several northern peaks in the range are over 14,000 ft. The two humps midway down the range and just northwest of Trout Creek Pass are volcanic piles called Buffalo Peaks. The Mosquito range separates South Park from the Arkansas Valley.

Because of the white salt marshes and springs in the western edge of South Park, the area attracted Indians and trappers who followed the plentiful game found here. Vast herds of bison and antelope grazed here and ducks, geese, beaver, muskrat, otter, mink, and trout inhabited the waterways. Grizzly bear, Bighorn sheep, wolf, mule deer, elk and cougar lived in the mountains. The Utes fought against invading tribes to protect their rich hunting ground. You’ll still find arrowheads and other artifacts on much of the Ranch.

Many trappers and explorers traversed the area. Trout Creek Pass (the northern entrance to the Ranch) was the route used to access the Arkansas and San Luis Valleys. This is also where the Denver, South Park & Pacific & the Midland Railroads’ tracks crossed on their way over the pass to Buena Vista and beyond. The Midland originated in Colorado Springs and remnants of its tracts (a berm) can be seen crossing the Hwy 24 main Ranch entrance. The railroad stopped here to pick up cattle.

If you look closely, you can find several original log cabins on the Ranch. These are the remains of settlers’ homesteads. (Take the self-guided auto tour to find out where they are.)

The land that is now Ranch of the Rockies used to be part of the 87,000 acre Salt Works Ranch, a historical working ranch located just north of Antero Junction on the east side of Hwy. 285 as you’re heading toward Fairplay. The Ranch of the Rockies portion was sold around 1968 to the Western Union Corp. which became Western Union Ranch (a.k.a. Ranch of the Rockies). The Ranch of the Rockies was developed by the Hamdun Corporation. The legal name, Western Union Ranch, is found on the original documents for the subdivision.

The Sipal Ranch, a large cattle ranch, is our neighbor. You will see some of Sipal’s pastures winding in between Ranch of the Rockies property. The Sipal Ranch House with its distinctive red roof can be seen to the east from Ranch Road.

If you’d like to take a self-guided auto tour of the Ranch of the Rockies.

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