Anders Ranch

Anders Ranch Conservation Easement

In 2000, the Anders family donated an 874-acre conservation easement on their family ranch located at Colorado Highway 135 and the Jack’s Cabin Cutoff. The Anders family settled in Crested Butte in 1895. In 1940, after homesteading 80 acres at the base of Round Mountain, the family eventually purchased what is known today as the Anders Ranch. The Denver-Rio Grande railroad line from Gunnison to Crested Butte ran along the eastern boundary of the ranch until the railroad was shut down in the 1950s. US Forest Service land adjoins the ranch for two miles of the boundary line to the west and northwest. This ranch is adjacent to National Forest and intersects approximately a half mile of the East River.

Of the 874 acres, 177 are irrigated meadow lands and 697 are sagebrush uplands. The riparian habitat associated with the East River is a particularly lush example of a cottonwood bosque. These old cottonwood forests are the rarest habitat type in Gunnison County. The ranch provides breeding habitat for numerous species that use the public lands bordering the ranch as well as significant food, cover and habitat resources for wildlife. The healthy diversity of the meadow vegetation and vastness of the ranch make food resources available to elk, deer and other wildlife during the winter months. The Anders Ranch provides majestic views as one travels along the West Elk Scenic Byway. There is no public access.