12665 Highway 62 , Placerville, CO 81430(San Miguel County)

  Location, location, location, it’s a Rembrandt not a Monet!  Snow Drift Ranch; self reliant fortress, on or off the grid, offers 10,000 square feet of warmth and security.  Snow Drift Ranch on the Dallas Divide is viewed by many as the most photogenic location in CO.  Famous photographers from all over the country come to the Dallas Divide to snap photos on a regular basis.  The views from this ranch are even better than other locations on the Dallas Divide that are open to the public.   Colorado Life Magazine (September/October 2016) named Snow Drift Ranch on Dallas Divide as the number one location in the entire state of Colorado to view Autumn colors. The unspoiled beauty of this ranch transcended every other mountain pass in Colorado including Independence (Aspen), Rabbit Ears (Steamboat), Vail and Monarch, along with five other world class locations. Snow Drift Ranch on Dallas Divide is the cherry on top of the whipped cream.  The property is located in one of the most iconic and beautiful locations in all of Colorado if not the lower 48.  This 10,000 square foot trophy compound located on 32.5 acres with additional acreage available (please inquire), (MOL) overlooks Ralph Lauren’s famous Double RL Ranch, with arguably better views of the Double RL than Mr. Lauren has of his own property.  The designer billionaire is the neighbor to the South and has created a protected work of wonder, comprising thousands upon thousands of acres, stretching for miles along the highway shared with Snow Drift, ensuring unobstructed views in all directions. Camera shots taken near the entrance to Snow Drift were selected to promote Colorado State University’s on-line MBA program, featured in a pictorial display at Denver International Airport.  Notwithstanding abundant options, Toyota, selected the top of Snow Drift on Dallas Divide to film a commercial when it debuted its Tacoma pick-up truck. Unsurpassed and unspoiled beauty abounds from this magnificent listing. Add this to the fact that the nearest full-time neighbor is miles away, guarantees that you can count on a gorgeous, pitch black night sky, free from any light pollution all year round.

  There are views of the Sneffels Range and Cimarron Ranges out every window in this over 250 foot long building complex. When touring the property It’s as though you are flying in a helicopter taking a tour of the most beautiful place in North America. This beautiful home is easily accessible year round, as the driveway turns out onto HWY 62, yet far enough off the highway to offer total privacy, making it perfect for seclusion, family, friends, or company business. The home was built in three phases and is truly an engineering marvel!  Built by one of the best engineers ever to graduate from MIT and Harvard, it surely couldn’t be easily replicated.  First of all the original home is built of hand hewn logs, and has the look and feel of an old world log home, accented with hand fabricated metal that adds both beauty and structure.  

  The second and third phases of the home blend well and have modern amenities with high quality finishes.  Overall, there are 4 plus bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and 2 full kitchens in the main house and additions, all of which offer individual privacy and uncommon comfort.  There is a very large steam shower, and luxuriously finished handicap bathroom on the main level. There is even another luxurious steam shower off the current master bedroom. Offices are found at each wing of the home.  There’s a very large room on the top floor of the newest addition that would be great for large family gatherings, or could be used as a large conference room.  There is also another conference room and library area on the main floor of this addition. It is directly adjacent to complete guest quarters located within the building, a sanctuary that offers a private living room, bathroom, steam room, wet bar, and bedroom with an astonishing view of Mount Sneffels right out of the south facing window.

  All of the interior is custom designed with the highest quality features. There are built-in wooden bookshelves, settings for multiple libraries and meeting areas. Bathroom and kitchen countertops are stone and granite. Kitchen sinks are copper, stainless and rugged polymer design, the latter in a private plant room off the master bedroom. Incredible views of the San Juans will greet you as you pot plants and flowers.  Adjacent to the plant room is a remarkable sun room in which you can sit in your rocking chair, while reading a book in front of a custom moss rock wall at the west end of the room.  There are three custom stone hearths in different rooms, including the master bedroom, the main guest room and one of the downstairs wood paneled offices. The main steam/shower room in the guest quarters can easily fit four people, with it’s two shower heads and tiled seating and lounging area. This shower room is large enough for a wheelchair bound individual to wheel in and shower with room to spare. The closet space in this facility must be seen to be believed.  All closets are lighted and the ones in the newest addition on the main floor take advantage of the nine foot ceilings to provide overhead storage for linens and/or blankets.

  There are hundreds of square feet of wooden decks and concrete patio areas. Four of the elevated decks face south with stunning views of the San Juan and Cimarron mountain ranges. The fifth elevated deck is special.  It faces east toward the Cimarrons and offers the best view of one of the most highly photographed fences in North America as it meanders over a pastoral hillside toward Mt. Sneffels. This fence, on Ralph Lauren’s Double RL Ranch is worthy of a scenic turnoff chosen by the Colorado Department of Highways, where motorists can stop to admire the view. The deck on the east end of Snow Drift is over a quarter of a mile away and over 200 feet higher than the highway and commands an unobstructed view of the classic scene.

  There is also a very large heated workshop, equipped with plumbing, satellite TV and 120/240 volt capacity that is connected to a two/three car heated garage with epoxy and urethane coated floors. Two remote controlled, commercial grade garage doors open this space to the concrete apron surrounding the entire building.  The huge workshop, large enough for another vehicle, is separated from the main garages by an interior custom wooden garage door.  Just to the east of the garage is a 38? X 19’ X 17’ high RV bay, protected by a remote controlled 16’ X 14’ commercial garage door.  This space is large enough for a full sized RV and tall and wide enough to work on your RV, Bobcat or truck anytime you want, even in the middle of winter.  If you need them, there are hot and cold water spigots everywhere, including four on the outside of the building.  All of the interior walls in the garage and workshop areas are covered with exterior plywood over water resistant sheet rock, with numerous laminated studs to offer incredible engineering strength under all weather conditions.  The whole home has four high efficiency HVAC forced hot air furnaces to control temperature in each part of the home, with a total of 14 computer controlled zones.  There is a state of the art partitioned security system that can be armed or set off from anywhere in the house by remote control or three strategically located key pads.  The third phase addition has a very large second floor office, including bathroom, shower, and kitchenette, that can be easily converted into a comfortable caretaker’s quarters.

   Self sufficiency at it’s best, there are also over a dozen 240 volt back up heaters, two hot water heaters (one propane and the other electric), along with two propane remote controlled luxury stoves and three wood burners to guarantee to keep you warm and cozy whatever the outside weather.

  If the grid goes down, there are two generators, a 6.5 KW Onan, and a 45 KW Generac that can run the entire complex; both fueled by 4000 gallons of propane, buried in four underground tanks.  There are four solar panels that trickle charge 16 deep cycle batteries that make up the large 24 volt battery bank. The battery bank can also be trickle charged by the solar panels or fast charged by the generators or the grid.  The entire home is always ON the grid with 400 amps of San Miguel Power electrical service; but it can go off the grid with the flip of a switch!  Even more, the home has the infrastructure in place for a future solar hot water system that can be used to pre-heat the supply air for the two largest HVAC units.

  At dozens of locations throughout the homestead, there are back-up DC lights and AC plugs that operate off the central battery bank and inverter and can be used whether the house is on or off the grid.  All HVAC units can bring in outside fresh air that can be filtered with HEPA or conventional filters – a great feature in the event of distant forest fires or other natural or man-made disasters.  There is a great well and a 1500 gal cistern. Water has never been an issue on this property. You could probably live in this home for a year if stocked up properly, without ever leaving!  It is perfect for anyone interested in maintaining comfort and security, whatever the outside world has to offer.

  This home has so many great features that it would take all day to explain everything.  Breathtaking views, comfort and convenience in any event and accessible seclusion.  It has everything!

  The overall property is made up of four separate lots (when including available additional acreage).  The main Homestead is located on 32.5 acres.   Three more additional lots are available (totaling an additional 106.35 acres) and two of them can be built on in the future, some may argue that the views from these lots are as good as or even better than the home site of the ranch.  Unbelievably, lot 3 directly north of the homestead includes the very top of Dallas Divide, the site chosen in the past for filming a Toyota truck commercial.  So if one wanted, they could develop this property in the future for at least two more residences with the available additional acreage (please inquire about this).  The property is fully fenced and cross fenced.  Currently the owners run about 10-15 cow/calf pairs annually on the available additional acreage.  There’s a nice deep stock pond that fills up with snow melt water each year located there, providing adequate water for cattle and wildlife located on lot 3.  This pasture on top of Dallas Divide is wonderful land for summer/fall high country grazing. The high protein grasses found here give your cattle and elk excellent nutrition.

  Did I mention how good the elk hunting is?!  Over the counter elk tags can be purchased annually.  With the Double RL ranch across the highway allowing very limited elk hunting, the elk hunting on Snow Drift is unbelievably good!  It’s not uncommon to see many dozen elk every day from your living room window.  The property is located in a prime elk and deer travel corridor between mountain ranges.  The property hunts like a ranch that is much larger.  

  Last but not least with zoning laws and building restrictions, homes in San Miguel County can currently never be built to break sky line. Except where “grandfathered in,” this property does not break sky-line in San Miguel County; but being on a county line, its two story structure visible from Ouray County can never be duplicated in such an incredible location.  Upon arriving at Snow Drift Ranch you realize quickly that the location of the home is perfect, facing two mountain ranges; with the San Juans, including the fourteener, Mt. Sneffels, right in your face, along with several other 13 thousand foot peaks.  Directly east are the Cimarron Mountains with several other fourteeners to take your breath away.  From the top of the property, a short hike up the hill, you can see two more mountain ranges; one to the north, the West Elk Range, near Black Canyon National Park, and another to the west, the LaSalle Mountains in Utah, sanctuary to Butch Cassidy, after he robbed his first bank in Telluride.  If those were not enough, from this piece of heaven, you can add the 120 mile view of Grand Mesa west of Grand Junction; and to the southwest, you can also feast your eyes upon Lone Cone and Mt. Wilson near Telluride.

  This self-reliant home complex was built by one of the best engineers in the world today.  It has all the luxury, convenient features of reliable on the grid living; with the reassurance that goes with back-up in the event of natural or man-made disasters.  It is one of the best built homes in the Telluride area!  Come find out for yourself!  Showings are for qualified buyers only.  

Notice, coincidentally, the entrance to this property is under highway surveillance by CDOT at all times.

CO-Brokers Welcome!