Morningstar Ranch
Listing Price:
$5,800,000
The 562-acre Morningstar Ranch is located 45 minutes south of Jackson Hole in western Wyoming's wild and scenic Lincoln County. The area is commonly referred to as Star Valley and is unique in that throughout its fifty-mile length, it is not wider than 6 miles between the Caribou National Forest and the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Star Valley's premium location amidst Wyoming's pristine, mountainous environment is ideal due in large part to its proximity to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. From the Morningstar Ranch one can head north through the Snake River Canyon to the heart of Jackson Hole and its natural wonders, summer and winter resort amenities, medical facilities and commercial airline services. There are two jet airstrips located within twenty minutes of the ranch, one 8 miles north in Alpine and one 20 miles south in Afton. The towns of Alpine, Etna, Thayne and Afton are all located on Highway 89 and provide basic conveniences such as grocery stores and gas stations, car and equipment dealerships and a hospital.
The Morningstar Ranch consists of riverfront meadows and irrigated hay land. Its elevation varies between 5,761 feet above sea level along the quarter mile of highway frontage to 5,710 feet along the river on the downstream end of the ranch. The entire property affords magnificent views of the Salt River Range to the east, the Snake River Range to the north, and the Caribou Mountains to the west.
Approximately 1.25 miles of the Salt River, a trophy wild cutthroat and brown trout fishery, meanders below the mountain views. There are numerous building sites with beautiful settings for each. Many groves of willows flank the river on its course through the property. In addition to the river resource, the ranch has eight different springs that provide the additional water resources to make this property an excellent fishery and waterfowl hotspot. These springs present ponding opportunities throughout the ranch and are part of what makes the building sites so unique.
Historically, the ranch has been operated as a cattle and horse ranch, utilizing certain pastures for hay production and others for summer and winter grazing. The existing ranch home is located on the eastern portion of the property a few hundred yards from the highway for ease of winter accessibility. A large spring-fed fishing pond is situated immediately west of the home. Its outlet runs north picking up several smaller springs then forming a larger spring creek that is a Mallard duck haven.
The Salt River is a classic meadow stream that flows through the center of Star Valley for approximately fifty miles. The river is navigable by small drift-boat or raft however, receives minimal boat traffic. The Salt empties into the Palisades Reservoir six miles downstream of the ranch, just south of the town of Alpine. The reservoir is a deep and massive body of holding water for wild brown and cutthroat trout that move freely between the Salt, Snake and Greys Rivers. Brown trout typically choose the Salt River system due to the incredible spring resources and the exceptionally fertile waters they provide.
The best fishing of the season is during the summer and early fall months when the larger terrestrials such as the beetles and grasshoppers are out in abundance. Browns are abundantly present in the river and valley spring creeks in deep pools throughout the year, and still their numbers grow tenfold during the fall spawning run. During normal flows, the stream is perfect for wade fishing with shallow areas in the riffles that make fording the stream safe and easy. Resident trout, up to 24” in length and trophy browns up to 31”, migrate through the property each fall on their spawning run.
Of the eight separate spring resources on the Morningstar Ranch, five have well-defined creek channels that wander across the ranch in various locations, providing a cumulative total of approximately 2.5 additional miles of moving water. The remaining three spring resources occur at the river's level, provide open water throughout the year. These eight spring creeks are the favorite loafing habitat or "ancestral holes" for Mallards, Green-winged Teal and Canada geese. Enhancement procedures have been performed on dozens of spring creeks in the valley with staggering results as the water source is clean and consistent, and the food sources are prolific. The owner has performed some enhancement work on two of the five streams and these improvements should dramatically enhance the Salt River as well as the spring creeks.
In addition to the private resources, a ranch owner will have a multitude of other recreational opportunities nearby for comfortable day trips. These include nearby National Forest systems for horseback riding, white water rafting, hiking, biking, camping, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, backcountry and cross-country skiing, photography and 4WD touring.
The 3,800 square feet ranch home was originally built in the 1960s and was extensively remodeled in 2003. The main level of the home includes the kitchen, breakfast room, the master suite with bathroom, a second bedroom and bathroom, a mudroom with woodstove, and den with fireplace. Outside, a deck overlooks the spring creek outlet beneath the trout lake. Also, a bridge was built to provide access across the river to the western portion of the property.
The Morningstar Ranch is a model candidate for a conservation easement placed by an incoming owner, creating significant potential tax benefits. Upon placing a conservation easement on the property, an owner may reserve building sites, the right to continue agricultural uses and the right to fish and hunt the property, while giving up further development rights and preserving the wild landscape in perpetuity.