Remember that privately owned Colorado 14er that was up for sale that I told you about last week? If you’d been considering purchasing the plot of land that it was on, I’ve got some bad news. According to Gear Junkie, it was sold this week for a cool $105 million, taking it off the market for those who were saving their pennies.
According to reports, the 83,368-acre Cielo Vista Ranch was sold early this week, along with all of the natural resources that are found on the premises. That includes Culebra Peak, at 14,053 ft (4283 meter) mountain this is amongst Colorado’s 53 “14ers.” The land also features 18 other mountains that stand above 13,000 feet (3962 meters), and comes with “thousands of elk,” a herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn, and more than 100 miles (160 km) of trout streams.
The property has been for sale since 2015, but it seems at long last a buyer has been found. The identity of that buyer has not been revealed, although Gear Junkie quotes listing broker Jeff Hubbard as saying the buyer was “absolutely ideal.” Hubbard went on to add, “He is one who is a true conservationist and is deeply committed to preserving this national treasure and extraordinary resource.”
What the future plans for the land are remains to be seen. Whether it will stay a relatively closed site, or if it will be opened for commercial development as some have speculated, is still being determined. For now however, access to Culebra Peak is limited as the site for reserving permits lists all reservation dates as closed. Considering the number of hikers and climbers who have set the goal of bagging all of the 14ers that the state has to offer, there will be some who will be disappointed if access isn’t restored.
We’re sure that the new owner has a lot on his mind at the moment. After all, moving into a new place is always a lot of work.
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