Black Drake Ranch

Details & Features

The Black Drake Ranch consists of ±420 deeded acres in South Central Oregon near the California border. There are nearly three miles of fishing from two private streams that hold and produce native wild redband (a high desert strain of rainbow) and wild brown trout. A ponderosa pine-forested area along with the juniper and sage lands is accented by a significant pasture that feeds and is home to deer, antelope, and migrating elk. The ranch boasts a custom three-bedroom, two-bath, high-tech main home, a three-bedroom, two-bath guest home, a log cabin bunkhouse as well as an additional structure that is used for larger gatherings.

The Black Drake Ranch offers total privacy, trout fishing on secluded streams, hunting, birding or the opportunity is present for an excellent equestrian property. The ranch feels as if one is stepping back in time one hundred years ago, with the wildlife, the trout fishing and the privacy, yet, offers all the high-tech amenities of today. This ranch is an iconic property, one that will provide years of enjoyment for family and friends and is one of Oregon’s gems.

Improvements
Log Cabin Bunkhouse: A single room log cabin that has electricity and sleeps two comfortably, sits at the end of the
pasture and alongside of Five Mile Creek and serves as a private retreat that is just over a mile from the main home and guest house. The area behind the cabin has an RV area with 50 and 75amp hookup and can accommodate up to two RVs. The yard has a picnic area and barbeque pit for outside enjoyment.
Main Home: The main home is a custom, three-bedroom, two-bath home built on the bluff overlooking Five Mile Creek.
The home is high quality and has taken full advantage of the surrounding views with window walls that allow for an unobstructed view of most of the property.
The interior is tastefully finished in wood paneling using natural cedar, oak, as well as barn wood taken from a century old barn on the ranch. A massive stone fireplace stands as the center piece of the great room floorplan. The home has an attached three-car garage as well.
Guest House: A fully furnished three-bedroom, two-bath manufactured home sits a few steps away from Five Mile Creek and out of sight of the main home. The house has a dishwasher, washer and dryer and is modest but comfortable for guests to enjoy during a stay at the ranch. A steel barn and additional four bunkhouse are next to the guest house for larger groups of visitors.

Location
The Black Drake Ranch is located 50± miles from Klamath Falls, Oregon, and nearly the same miles from Lake View, Oregon. Klamath Falls has a commercial airport for travel needs.
The ranch sits about two miles off the main paved road and is accessed by a well-maintained gravel road that provides year-round access. The terrain varies from 4,300 to 4,600 feet in elevation, and includes a hayfield/pasture, a shallow canyon that contains the North Fork of the Sprague River, a forest of Ponderosa Pine, and characteristic high desert flora and fauna. The ranch has been surveyed and is fenced, and the noxious weeds are controlled yearly to keep at a minimum. The 75± acres of hayfield/pasture consist of a mature dryland grass mix that thrives in the high desert climate and is sub-irrigated from the surrounding foothills that feed into Five Mile Creek that runs through the heart of the pasture. The pasture is fully fenced and provides for a seven-month grazing season for a small herd of cattle or horses. The 25± acres of Ponderosa Pine has been managed as well as cleared of juniper with approximately 200,000 board feet of timber and serves as a beautifully forested parklike setting. The remaining uplands have been largely cleared of juniper and are populated with characteristic high desert flora and fauna.

Area
Klamath County, Oregon, consists of 6,135 square miles of land that is home to many farms and ranches. It is one of the largest counties in Oregon, and home to the Crater Lake National Park. The county has a population of approximately 70,000 people with an economy that consists of timber, tourism and agriculture.

Live Water
The streams that make up the private fishing on the Black Drake Ranch are the North Fork of the Sprague River and Five Mile Creek.
While these two streams are dissimilar hydrologically, the population of native wild redband and wild brown trout is similar in both. Prolific insect hatches throughout the early and mid-summer include stoneflies, caddis flies, black drakes, hexegenia, beatis and other mayflies. In the fall prolific grasshoppers and mahogany duns are the main meal for the trout. Large trophy-sized trout have been caught using a mouse pattern as well. During the hatches, an angler of average skill will hook 20 fish a day, with a couple exceeding 20 inches, and an occasional fish of up to 10 pounds, primarily on dry flies. Beginning anglers, such as grandchildren, will have great success due to the lack of pressure on these native trout. Over the past decade the present owners have worked tirelessly to improve the fishing habitat on the ranch and in the surrounding Sprague River basin. Over $400,000 dollars have been invested into watershed restoration.

Summary
The Black Drake Ranch is a one of a kind retreat. The total privacy, the prolific trout population and the abundant wildlife are all part of what make the ranch an iconic property and one that will provide years of enjoyment for family and friends. The 420± acres of deeded ground ensure seclusion. The nearly three miles of streams teeming with native trout secure delight, with a comfortable custom built home along with the other homes and cabin with room for guests, the Black Drake Ranch is one of Oregon’s gems.

• The 420+- acres of deeded ground insure your privacy
• Nearly three miles of private streams teaming with native trout insure your enjoyment
• Comfortable custom built home along with the other homes and cabin with room for guests
• Located about 50+- miles from Klamath Falls, Oregon