Troublesome Valley Ranch welcomes new owner — $8.37M

Kremmling’s Troublesome Valley Ranch recently sold for $8.37 million, Grand County’s largest real estate transaction this year.

The ranch was put up for sale for the first time in 50 years in August 2021 and sold in February. The broker was Bill George of the Kremmling-based Colorado Ranch Co. The ranch was originally listed for $10 million.

The ranch is adjacent to Bureau of Land Management and Colorado state lands and has access to national forest.

The total ranch acreage is 2,269. This includes the 1,291-acre ranch headquarters, known as the Becker, and a 978-acre parcel known as the Breeze, which has an additional home.

In addition to the ranch homes, Troublesome Valley Ranch includes a working corral, shipping corral, horse barn, equipment shop and building sites. The meadows surrounding the property are home to wildlife such as deer, elk and moose.

Troublesome Valley Ranch has a rich history in the area, dating back to its time as a homestead in the 1880s. The ranch has operated as a working ranch since then. The same family has owned the ranch since 1965. The family has assembled the ranch through a number of acquisitions and has expanded its operations over the years.

The former owners produced hay and ran a cow-calf operation. With the new owner, the ranch will continue to maintain irrigation and hay production, along with some livestock grazing. The new owner plans to work with local ranches interested in leasing the ranchland for grazing. Troublesome Valley Ranch currently has nearly 900 acres of irrigated hay meadow.

The ranch is also a haven for fly-fishers, and outfitters have used the ranch’s fully-stocked 4-acre reservoir for decades. The pond offers plenty of trophy catches for fishing enthusiasts, including brook, brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Water is an ever-precious resource for fishermen, ranchers and the community overall. Troublesome Valley Ranch’s water rights of the Troublesome Creek predate the Colorado River Compact of 1922.

Older water rights that predate the compact are not at risk of a compact call on the river, meaning that the ranch’s water is protected from potential cutbacks of usage. The possibility of cutbacks increases each year, due to Colorado’s long-standing drought.

One draw of Troublesome Valley Ranch for the owner was its untouched water. Two miles of Troublesome Creek run through the ranch.

The creek is in its natural state, which leaves room for enhancement. The current owner, or any future owners, may choose to enhance the creek’s fishery, giving the ranch even more fly-fishing opportunities.

Currently, one fly-fishing outfitter utilizes Troublesome Valley Ranch. The owner intends on retaining the current recreational leases with the outfitter.

With its abundant natural resources and established set-up as a working and recreational ranch, the possibilities of Troublesome Valley Ranch are numerous, both for the new owner, local ranchers, fly-fishing enthusiasts and any future owners who appreciate the outdoor lifestyle.