Smile4u Inc.

Cool mesa views with pretty details in mountains to the west!

This 5 acres of real estate for sale is located high in the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado about 3 hours southwest of Denver. It is a few miles west of the Rio Grande River in the San Luis Valley! It is in a very rural part of the valley - remote yet accessible! It is located about 15 minutes away from San Luis, the county seat, and the busy town of Alamosa which has the nearest Wal-Mart is a 50 minute drive to the northwest. The New Mexico State line is a few miles to the south and the infamous Taos sits about an hour away. This San Luis Valley is one of the largest high desert valleys in the world.

All of the pictures were taken about 1 3/4 of a mile to the east of the property and its surrounding views when we visited in August 2008. I have not had a chance to view the actual property but they should be an excellent representation of the property and surrounding area. We arrived at a pretty time of the year and there were lots of fall colors in the brush. There are excellent county roads that lead all the way to the area. We saw power in the distance and you would need to view the property to know just how close it runs to this property. Solar and generators might also want to be considered. I have seen quite a bit of solar out in this valley.

I thought it was a pretty part of the valley with long views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the north to the southeast! Blanca Peak can be seen to the north although it was a bit cloudy the day we visited. At 14,345 feet it is the 4th highest peak in Colorado! There is a view of Culebra Peak at 14,047. She is the only "fourteener" in Colorado which is on private land. There are cool treed hills from the north to the west and on down to the south with great detail in them. Ute Mountains sit in New Mexico to the south.

This is a very pretty part of the valley - remote yet easily accessable. The property seems fairly level from the aerial photo link above. You can also see in the aerial photo that there is a reservoir and an intermittent stream to the northwest of the property. It appears there is a water easement along the west side of the property which I imagine is for irrigation as I have seen others like this in the county. I do not believe you would have the right to draw water from this source. You would need to drill a well which it is zoned for. You can also see that it is a corner lot.

There were farms sprinkled in the distance to the east and I zoomed in to see the stacks of hay and sprinklers irrigating the crops - a very pretty setting. This is a very agricultural valley and you can see the circular irrigation crops in the aerial photos to the east. This subdivision runs into the Rio Grande River about four miles to the west. The north side of the subdivision runs into Highway 142, which takes you from the county seat of San Luis over to Manassa.

This is a beautiful valley with wild horses and antelope roaming about as seen in some of the photos below we took in this subdivision. If you have been seeking a place to get away from it all in the Rocky Mountains with hardly anyone around this is it! Enjoy! Char the Explorer : )

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains hiding in the clouds! There is a long view of them from the north to the east and on down to the southeast!

Ute Mountain which sits to the south in New Mexico and big valley views!

Pretty farms sprinkled in the distance - you can see the stacks of hay, irrigation sprinklers, and barns - lots of agriculture in this valley and you can also see it in the aerial photos the circular crops.

That is Pilot Peak hiding in the clouds in the distance beyond the nearby hills. I kept a few of these photos big so you can see the detail in her peaks - the clouds were definitely hiding her that day!

I took this photo out of another property that is about 2 miles away so you can see just how big those peaks are on a clearer day!

Subdivision Information:

The Rio Grande Ranchos are located in Costilla County, nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in the Sangre de Cristo Range. The valley sits at an elevation of 7544 feet. The San Luis Valley is one of the largest high desert valleys in the world at an altitude of over 7,000 feet. It is approximately 125 miles long and over 65 miles wide. The high plains and flat valleys stretch for 722 square miles and is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the east and the San Juan mountain range to the west. The Rio Grande River originates in the San Juan Mountains and flows through the San Luis Valley. Here you will also find Blanca Peak. At 14,345 feet it is the 4th highest peak in Colorado! It can clearly be seen for miles on a typical sunny day. The clear blue sky against the backdrop of Mt. Blanca is absolutely beautiful!

Mt. Blanca, the fourth highest peak in Colorado at 14,345 feet, offers stunning views to this subdivision. It is part of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Located near the small towns of Mesita and San Luis it is about a 50 minute drive to the bustling town of Alamosa, 210 miles southwest of Denver, 175 miles east of Durango and 60 miles north of Taos. It is a large subdivision that covers different parts of the county. Alamosa to the north is the largest nearby town offering shopping, restaurants and hotels. The valley is mostly agricultural with many beautiful farms sprinkled about.

These are a few of my favorite photos taken in the area. For more pictures from our journeys to this area be sure and click on the Costilla link below!

May 2009 Update: We spent a day exploring land in the San Luis Valley before heading down to New Mexico to check out River River and Angel Fire in Taos. I often hear people interested in buying land talking about skiing in Red River which is about an hours drive away from San Luis. It was a bit of a cloudy day but we were still able to see majestic Blanca Peak which had quite a bit of snow in her peaks! We spent some time looking at the smaller towns of Mt. Blanca, Fort Garland, Manassa, Mesita, and Jaroso. It was a pretty spring with trees just starting to get their leaves and flowers bloooming.

Our highlight of the day was the wild herd of horses we saw just south of highway 142 and west of the town of San Luis in the Rio Grande Ranches. They watched us nervously as we drove up, letting us take several photos of them before they took off across the open valley - their manes and tails flying in the wind - wow is that stunning to see in the wild!!! I had previously seen wild horse up on Wild Horse Mesa on another occasion so this was my second glimpse at the wild horses in this valley! And we found quite a few antelope out grazing that afternoon, a few just down the road from the horses! Have I mentioned I have the best job in the whole world!!!

Wild horses in the Rio Grande Ranches with Blanca Peak in the distance in May 2009!

The San Luis Valley continues to be a hot spot for Solar power. In March, 2009 the Saguache County Planning Commission announced that a company, Renewable Energy Systems (RES) presented a "preliminary sketch application" to them for the construction of two 100-megawatt solar power plants to be located NE of Center, Colorado. Center is about a 25 minute drive northwest of Alamosa. If this gets built it would ad 50 jobs to the area. It sounds like the commissioners have a lot of research to do and approved a motion to use the current guidelines until they can adopt an alternative procedure - whatever that all means!!!

I also read that Xcel Energy will build a 17-megawatt solar plant adjacent to the existing SunEdison facility in Alamosa County. It is expected to be completed sometime in late 2010. The plant will be the second largest high efficienty photovoltaic solar plant in North America. An estimated 200 jobs would be created during construction. Construction is contingent on factors including approval from the Colorado Public Utility Commission.

The small town of San Luis, the county seat for Costilla. Pictures include the cute shops along main street, the fire department, a church and school:

The rest of the photos below were taken on our other trips to the area.

In September 2005 we caught early morning riders boarding the Cumbres Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito. The ride takes you through the Conejos County high country, through two tunnels and along the Toltec Gorge offering scenic views of the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountain ranges.

A few of the businesses at Fort Garland, a busy crossroad along the highway and some kids enjoying the fort! Once comanded by the legendary Kit Carson it served to protect the early settlers with over 100 men. We often find buses parked out front and the yard filled with school children as you can see in the two pictures taken in 2006.

A few businesses in Alamosa: Super Wal-Mart, the Holiday Inn Express built a few years ago, my favorite steak house there, True Grits, it is filled with John Wayne memorbelia and the Chamber of Commerce:

People enjoying Mountain Home Reservoir:

Click Here to view the State Of Colorado, Division Of Water Resources Guide To Well Permits, Water Rights and Water Administration.

For more pictures and information from our journeys to this area be sure and click here: Costilla County

Please conduct your due diligence research and be sure to ask all questions prior to hitting the "Buy Now" button below.

Once you click on the "Buy Now" button we put a Sale Pending notice on the listing and email out further instructions. Within 24 hours we must receive a response to that email that includes your contact information. Payment is due within 5 days unless prior arrangements are made by cashiers check, money order, Visa/Master/Discover Card or Paypal. We often have several interested buyers in the same property and in fairness to all interested parties we keep the property available until someone is 100% prepared to complete the transactions.

With our sincere thanks,

Mark, Charlotte, Derek, and Kristy : )

Please feel free to call Char at 360-550-8943 with any questions! We are on Pacific time.

To view our other available Properties, please Click Here

Thank you for looking!