After fishing most of his life along the 5 miles of South Platte River shoreline that run through his family’s ranch, Scott Saunders is looking forward to casting his line in a variety of other Colorado streams.
Last week, Saunders sold the 3,200-acre Arrowhead Ranch to Winding River Ranch LLC, an entity controlled by a Florida businessman. The Park County property was listed by Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield for $11.5 million. It now will be called Winding River Ranch.
“It has gone up in value tremendously, and it has been more difficult over the years to make any money off the property,” said Saunders, who had been operating the ranch as a members-only fishing club. “It’s just a very valuable asset sitting in a very unproductive state.”
Located near the headwaters of the South Fork of the South Platte River, Winding River Ranch is adjacent to the 1.1-million-acre Pike National Forest. It includes five cabins, a bunkhouse and a 100-year-old log barn.
“The sporting aspect of this property clearly brought a ton of the value,” said Rye Austin of Orvis/Cushman.
Dave Perkins, chairman of Orvis’ retail division, travels the country field-testing products and spent some time fishing on the ranch. In an Orvis newsletter, Perkins said the Winding River Ranch is at the top of his list.
“I was in awe of what this ranch offered, not only in terms of fishing resources, but in serenity,” he wrote.
Of the 3,200 acres, 2,200 are deeded to the LLC. Another 910 acres are in a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy.
“I’ve been locked into that property for the last 20 years,” Saunders said. “I’m going to see what the other streams of Colorado have to offer. Every time you get to a new stream, you have something new to learn.”
Staff writer Margaret Jackson can be reached at 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com.
