Rocky Ford Ranch

Listing Price: $2,550,000

Located in Klamath County, Oregon, Rocky Ford Ranch is located along Forest Road 49 in the spectacular beauty of southern Oregon’s premier region for trophy fly fishing. The ranch is approximately 45 minutes outside the town of Chiloquin, a quaint town located at the confluence of the Williamson and Sprague Rivers. Klamath Falls is 90 miles south and provides commercial air service. Rocky Ford Ranch can also be reached by utilizing the 3,735 ft paved runway in Chiloquin.

Rocky Ford Ranch is comprised of approximately 1,700 deeded acres in Klamath County, Oregon, with approximately 1,000 acres of native meadows and wetlands with the balance covered by timber. This spectacular and private retreat shares 9 ½ miles of Winema National Forest boundary and offers exclusive access to roughly 2 ¼ miles of the Upper Williamson River. The ranch consists of several separate sections and the perimeter of each of these sections is fenced to protect the land from foraging livestock and denote approximate boundaries.

The Upper Williamson is a trophy trout fishery with classic mountain spring creek features. Because of the narrow layout of the river, an angler can effectively cover a large percentage of the water and target feeding fish on opposite banks. The river in this section is all on private property or federal land and public access is extremely difficult. The Klamath Marsh and an ancient series of waterfalls located above the Kirk springs on the Lower Williamson have prevented the Upper Williamson River fish from mingling with the fish of the Lower Williamson, maintaining a native population of trout now identified as the Upper Williamson River Redband.

Significant fisheries enhancement work has been completed on the Rocky Ford Ranch in the last several years to improve the holding habitat, riparian corridors and aquatic vegetation. Reclamation and revegetation plans were established in order to remove fine sediment in the water and improve stream banks effectively increasing water velocity and bank stabilization.

During the period between late May and late-July, the Rocky Ford Ranch provides the ideal fishing experience for the seasoned angler; clear sunny days combined with clouds of bugs and water teeming with rising trophy trout, all the requisite ingredients for a fishing experience never to be forgotten. The Upper Williamson has one of the most famous hatches in the country both for its size and rarity (Fly sizes 6-10).

With approximately 9 ½ miles of shared border with the Winema National Forest, one need not travel far to be surrounded by 1.1 million acres of meadows, marshes and heavy timber. The nearby 40,646 acre Klamath Marsh Wildlife Refuge offers limited waterfowl hunting for a host of species including mallards, pintails, gadwalls, widgeon and green-winged teal. This extensive waterfowl refuge is an ideal forum for wildlife viewing for numerous avian species. Elk, mule deer and antelope are also frequent visitors to the ranch and bordering forest providing potential for big game hunting both on-site and in the extensive public lands surrounding the ranch.

A modest but comfortable +/- 720 square foot cabin is located on the ranch. It has domestic water, septic and a 10 kW Kohler generator for electricity. A 1200 square foot shop is proximately located to the cabin as are functioning wells. There is also a small tin pump house and various storage sheds on the main ranch parcel.

Due to the eco-sensitive nature of the Rocky Ford Ranch, which features large open spaces, excellent aquatic habitat and miles of shared border with National Forest, it could provide substantial tax benefits to an incoming owner who places a conservation easement on the property.