For nearly 20 years, the sparsely populated western slope of northwest Colorado has harbored one of America’s most exclusive—and little known—sporting communities. Simply put, Elk Creek Ranch is a 25,000-acre sportsman’s playground like none other.
At its core, it’s a fly angler’s utopia, complete with 33 miles of private trout water and numerous lakes where rainbows and browns grow to beastly dimensions. For dry fly purists, the waters of the legendary White River that run through the ranch are famously generous. Mornings often start in the ranch’s fly shop for breaking reports on insect hatches and fly suggestions. It’s where word of emergers and acquisitions replaces daily stock tips.
Over the years, the magic and beauty of the valley have attracted some of the country’s wealthiest—including Henry Kravis, Michael Bloomberg, and the Walton family as well as celebrities like golfer Greg Norman, a dedicated sportsman.
"Colorado offers some of the world's most stunning real estate," says long-time owner, Rob Walton, former chairman of Walmart and conservation philanthropist, "and when you set foot on Elk Creek Ranch, you're looking at the best of the best—especially if you're a sportsman."
The ranch also happens to reside within North America’s largest elk migration corridor, one of the reasons Teddy Roosevelt regularly visited the area, ultimately becoming the leading voice in creating the 2.3- million-acre White River National Forest, which sits adjacent to Elk Creek Ranch.
The abundance of elk and deer provides the 53 members of the property with world-class big game hunting opportunities. Archery, muzzleloader, and rifle seasons span from September through much of November. The ranch employs 15 seasoned guides, most of whom have hunted and fished the valley for decades and know it intimately.
For shotgunners, wild populations of blue grouse can be found throughout the ranch’s timberlands as well as in the millions of acres of surrounding state and federal lands. Pheasant hunting is also on the menu here and, to get tuned up before heading to the uplands, a sprawling and cleverly designed sporting clays course provides shooters with all manner of humbling challenges. The course and nearby equestrian center were part of Elk Creek’s acquisition of Greg Norman’s 10,000-acre Seven Lakes Ranch in 2021.
Winter months might find residents hopping on snow machines and heading to the mountains where they’ll strike off on foot behind hounds in search of the region’s plentiful (some would say over-abundant) mountain lion population. Black bear is yet another marquee species available to hunters here, the area sporting some of the highest densities of the animals found anywhere in the West.
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