For Sale: Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Ranch for $33 Million

Val Kilmer, star of Top Gun, Tombstone and Willow, has put his 5,970-acre Pecos River Ranch on the market for $33 million. John Watson of Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield has the listing.

The Pecos River Ranch features more than five miles of frontage on its namesake river. Kilmer’s 5,550-square-foot adobe home as well as an 1,800-square-foot caretaker’s home, additional guest homes, barns, garages, and outbuildings are included in the sale.

The ranch is located 8 miles from Pecos, 22 miles from Santa Fe, and 90 miles from Albuquerque.

Kilmer, who is rumored to be considering a run for governor of New Mexico, has owned the property for nearly 15 years. He previously listed portions of the ranch for sale in 2006, but found no buyers.

For Sale: Bell Ranch Gets Bigger

The biggest ranch on the market in America just got bigger. The heirs of William Lane, who assembled New Mexico’s Bell Ranch 40 years ago, have elected to include an additional 40,100 acres of canyon country and pastureland in the offering, which now totals 290,100 contiguous deeded acres or 453 square miles. Carrying capacity for the ranch is 5,000AU.

The new price for the Bell is $103 million – $99 million for the land and $4 million for the livestock and equipment – or $341 per acre, according to the Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield website. The price represents a 22 percent reduction below the original asking price. Contact John Watson or Rye Austin at 888-541-4300 for additional details.

Property Details include:

290,100(+/-) deeded acres in northeastern New Mexico featuring Bell Mountain, a dramatic butte punctuating the landscape.

Located east of Santa Fe primarily in San Miguel County.

The Canadian River flows through the ranch for over 13 river miles.

Ranch is adjacent to 9,600-acre Conchas Lake with lake house and boat storage.

Carrying capacity for cattle operation is 5,000AU.

Headquarters includes general manager residence, ranch offices, stables, barns, garage and storage facilities.

10,832-square foot, 8-bedroom Hacienda with swimming pool and tennis court.

Four cowboy camps across the property.

Bell Ranch airfield has storage for 100LL avgas and a large hangar for its 8,200′ x 75′ lighted dirt airstrip.

Developer’s Diary: Canyon Ridge

When Mike Plant first set foot on the 5,700 breathtakingly beautiful acres of Northern New Mexico that would become Canyon Ridge, he knew he had found a gem.

“I’m blessed, I’ve been around a lot of beauty, and anyone who spends a day and touches a mere sliver of Canyon Ridge will tell you it is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” says Plant, a lifelong outdoorsman who also happens to be an executive vice president with the Atlanta Braves.

“It’s where I go to get away, to be immersed in nature, to get energized,” Plant says, adding, “You can hike for miles and miles, ride a horse or mountain bike, cross country ski, and enjoy unbelievable hunting and fishing.”

Overlooking the Chama River Valley in Northern New Mexico, Canyon Ridge is a one-of-a-kind conservation community featuring ranch estates ranging in size from 10 to 60 acres. Slated to open in the summer of 2012, each of Canyon Ridge’s 80 lucky owners will have access to an additional 4,000 acres that have been set aside in a permanent conservation easement.

“It’s doing all things little and big – whether it’s putting the majority of the land in conservation, developing a recreational management plan with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, or little things like allowing snowmobiles and only electric ATVs on roads and not trails – that make this one very special place,” Plant says.

I myself was surprised to find out that Canyon Ridge is only the second development ever approved for a conservation easement by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

This type of long-range planning is part of Plant’s big-picture approach to Canyon Ridge. With $17 million already invested and nearly 40 ranch estates slated to be ready this summer, he has made it clear to his Northern New Mexico neighbors that he is putting his money where its mouth is.

“We were the first to get a master plan approved in Rio Arriba County,” Plant points out, “and we did it because we didn’t do anything under the table. We said, ‘Here’s what we’re doing and not doing, and our top priorities are to preserve the heritage of the land and its wildlife inhabitants, and to provide jobs to local and regional people.’

“I learned a long time ago to respect other cultures and heritages,” Plant adds. “These people know I’m not the big guy in a suit from Atlanta. They can see my boots weren’t just pulled out of a box.”

Got to like that.

Classroom: Water Rights in New Mexico

With most areas of the West gaining popularity for natural beauty, recreation and open lands, it’s important that those who wish to purchase land or homes understand an issue as important as water rights.  As a very precious commodity with greater demand than supply, New Mexico’s water is the subject of a great deal of legal action and has been so for a very long time. Read more