Rafter Double S Ranch

Details & Features

The Rafter Double S Ranch is the ideal solution for an incoming owner seeking a historic piece of the old West with the modern conveniences of a well-maintained ranch. The ranch encompasses a place to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the spectacular sunrises and sunsets, superb fishing within a cast of the front deck, and the rewards of working the land. Share in the company of locals at the Green River Bar in Daniel, Wyoming, which is 17 minutes down the road. As a virtual turnkey purchase, an incoming owner has little to do except drive through the ranch gate and decompress.Rafter Double S Ranch consists of 1,077 deeded acres with an additional 640 acres of state grazing lease, and is conveniently located 8 miles southwest of Daniel, Wyoming, and 1 ½ hour south of Jackson Hole. The ranch provides outstanding mountain views, wildlife, miles of trophy trout fishing in North Cottonwood Creek, a 4-bedroom, 3-bath log home, guesthouse, shop, 3 outbuilding and excellent livestock facilities. The ranch would make a great addition to a local rancher’s summer cattle grazing, hay production or calving operation, or to a recreational owner who would prefer to lease out the livestock operation, for more time to explore the banks of the creek in search of trophy trout. Included with the sale of the Rafter Double S Ranch are the appliances, furnishings and equipment, all well kept and in good condition, providing an operation ready for enjoyment.

Rafter Double S Ranch is conveniently located 8 miles southwest of Daniel, Wyoming off Cottonwood-Ryegrass County Road #23-117. The ranch is 20 miles west of Pinedale and 1 ½ hours south of Jackson Hole. Pinedale, the county seat of Sublette County, is named after a legendary mountain man and trapper, William Sublette, in the area 1820-1840, and home of the historic Green River Rendezvous. With a population of approximately 1,400 in Pinedale and 6,000 in Sublette County, the county’s rich western reputation is for ranching, world-class fishing, recreational, tourism and natural resources. The nearby Sublette County Airport can accommodate most private jets on its 8,900’ runway. Several major airlines are available in Jackson Hole. Additional regional airline service is available in Rock Springs, approximately two hours south of the ranch.

The Rafter Double S Ranch has excellent improvements including a beautiful 2-story 4-bedroom, 3-bath log home built in 1990. The 2,146 sqft ranch home is situated along the banks of North Cottonwood Creek, in full view of the Wyoming Range and its spectacular evening sunsets. A comfortable 1-bedroom, 1-bath house can accommodate guests or a caretaker. Attached to the guesthouse is a fully-equipped, 2-bay heated shop with half bath. The homes and outbuildings have new roofing and have recently been stained.

Other improvements include a 4-stall log horse barn with tack and grain storage room, a 4,800 sqft metal equipment and calving barn, open-stall metal building, livestock shipping corrals and log chicken and pig house! An Artesian water well provides year round water to numerous working corrals, and the houses are supplied by a domestic water well.

The Rafter Double S Ranch boasts approximately 3 miles of both sides of North Cottonwood Creek. This stream provides a tremendous amount of meandering trout water with its willow-lined and undercut banks presenting anglers with a classic riffle-run-pool fishery to enjoy. North Cottonwood Creek is known for its feisty rainbows, cutthroat and brown trout, with some of these trout migrating upstream from the Green River. The trout in this creek vary in the 14”- 20” range, with larger trout reaching over 26”.

The Rafter Double S Ranch borders the cooperatively-owned Ryegrass Ranch and its 13-mile stretch of North Cottonwood Creek. The owners of the Rafter Double S Ranch have an agreement in place where they have the right to fish these additional 10 miles of creek bordering the ranch, in exchange for allowing the Ryegrass Ranch owners the option to fish a portion of the Rafter Double S Ranch’s 3-mile stretch of North Cottonwood Creek. This portion includes the upper and lower stretches, or beats, of the ranch’s creek frontage. The middle stretch of Rafter Double S Ranch’s creek is reserved for private use of the ranch owners, family and guests and is not part of the fishing agreement. An annual trout stocking program by the Ryegrass Ranch owners is also part of the management plan. This agreement between the Rafter Double S Ranch and its neighbors expires in 2014 unless an incoming owner chooses to renew. There is a yearly association fee as part of the renewal.

This historic ranch site was homesteaded in 1899 by the Carl Lidbeck family and has carvings of initials, brands and dates on the surrounding rock cliffs where Indian artifacts can still be found. The descendants to this family worked the land until recently when the property was purchased by the current owner.

Rafter Double S Ranch is home to many Mule deer, Pronghorn and moose, as well as waterfowl, sage grouse, coyotes, red fox, badgers, rabbits, eagles, hawks, osprey, and other small game and songbirds.

This region thrives with big game and is known for its Pronghorn and Mule deer migrations, which have been compared to Africa’s Serengeti. Each fall, hunters travel from all over the world to Sublette County to enjoy some of the finest big game hunting that the great state of Wyoming has to offer.

• 4Br, 3Ba Log Home
• 1Br, 2Ba Log Guesthouse