Located 14 miles southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Cañon Blanco Ranch spans a total of 80,892± acres on the southwestern flank of the Glorieta Mesa, between the Sandia and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. The ranch offers 62,395± deeded acres, 16,105± acres of state lease, and 2,392± acres of BLM lease. Known as one of the largest, contiguous, and last remaining deeded ranches in close proximity to Santa Fe and Santa Fe International Airport. Cañon Blanco Ranch has a true grandeur that must be experienced firsthand.
Formed by ancient geologic upheaval and sculpted by wind and water over centuries, Cañon Blanco itself creates the southern boundary of the ranch. To the east, the ranch shares a border with the 1.6-million-acre Santa Fe National Forest. The land encompasses a variety of terrain, from deep rock walls, canyons, arroyos, large stands of old-growth ponderosa pines, swathes of piñon pine, and juniper and miles and miles of prairie and native grasslands. Cañon Blanco Ranch is a signature assemblage of land that defines the diversity and biodiversity of New Mexico landscapes.
Over the last 30 years, the ownership group painstakingly acquired adjacent parcels to assemble this singularly large, contiguous, and principally all deeded holding. This is exceptionally rare considering its proximity to Santa Fe, where art galleries, museums, theaters, and restaurants provide a one-of-a-kind cultural backdrop less than 30 minutes from the hacienda. The main entrance to the ranch is on US Highway 285, about eight miles south of Interstate 25. The ranch is bordered by the Santa Fe National Forest on the east and the canyon itself to the southeast.
The crown jewel of the property is the custom-designed 14,000± square foot hacienda, which rises from the highest mesa and offers one of the most spectacular vantage points on the ranch. Designed by acclaimed Chicago architect Thomas Beeby, the hacienda features traditional Spanish, colonial Mexican, and southwestern Pueblo influences including a central courtyard, gardens, and a grand staircase. A caretaker's house stands a discreet distance from the hacienda.
As an operating cattle ranch, Cañon Blanco Ranch encompasses well-managed rangeland and well-designed equestrian facilities. At the ranch headquarters is an equestrian center, including an arena with viewing stands, storage buildings, corrals, and outbuildings as well as a restored 19th-century rock house.
Throughout the ranch are more than 150 miles of private graded roads. Twenty-four enclosed pastures, some as large as 7,000 acres, each are equipped with solar-powered wire-spoke fences and facilitate rotational grazing and range management. Residential and operational facilities were carefully designed to take advantage of 360-degree viewsheds and maximize operational efficiency and capacity. Ample water resources and infrastructure round out this premier offering.
With its vast size, the ranch is large enough to be home to residential big game animals, including elk, mule deer, antelope, bears, mountain lions, and a variety of small game species inhabit the ranch.
Cañon Blanco Ranch features traces of ancient life in petroglyphs, pottery shards, and ruins that remain here. This sale offers a rare opportunity to own an enormous expanse of land in excellent proximity to Santa Fe and Santa Fe Regional Airport. The opportunity to invest in Cañon Blanco ranch is rare, finite, and presents a multi-dimensional exit strategy.
● Northwest corner of the ranch is 14 miles southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico
● From the hacienda, Downtown Santa Fe is approximately a 30-minute drive
● 35 minutes to Santa Fe Regional Airport and Albuquerque International Airport is less than a two-hour drive
● Entirely bordered on the east by the 1.6 million-acre Santa Fe National Forest
● Easily accessed from Highway 285 and several county roads
● 62,395± deeded and contiguous acres
● 16,105± acres of State leased land
● 2,392± acres of BLM lease land
● Total combined acreage is 80,892±
● Located in both Santa Fe and San Miguel Counties, New Mexico
● Located on the southwestern flank of the Glorieta Mesa and between the Sandia and Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range
● Custom 14,408 square foot Spanish colonial-style hacienda
● Numerous smaller caretaker/foreman/manager homes
● Several well-placed corrals and livestock handling facilities
● Featuring several miles of the notable Canyon Blanco
● Characterized by mesas, canyons, arroyos, deep cut drainages, interspersed meadows, and rolling prairies
● 73 water wells
● 100 miles of exterior and interior fencing
● Year-round cow/calf and equestrian operation
● Well managed rangeland
● Abundant old growth ponderosa pine, juniper and pinyon tree cover
● Blue grama, dropseed, western wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, squirrel tail, buffalo grass, galleta, muhly, and tumble grass
● Exceptional big game habitat
● Wildlife includes elk, mule deer, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, lynx, wild turkey, and a variety of small game species
● Located in GMU 43
● Elevation ranges from 6,000± to 7,400±
● 300 days of sunshine
The northwestern edge of Cañon Blanco Ranch is located less than 20 minutes from Santa Fe — a rare feature for a ranch holding of this size. Encompassing a total of 80,892± acres assembled over the past three decades, this ranch features incredibly varied terrain, from steep rock walls to a winding canyon to old-growth piñon, juniper, and ponderosa pine. The southern boundary line is the canyon itself, for which the ranch is named. The property offers ease of access from US Highway 285, about eight miles south of Interstate 25.
The 14,000± square-foot hacienda stands on one of the highest points on the ranch, overlooking the spectacular scenery and surrounding mountain views in all directions. Acclaimed Chicago architect Thomas Beeby designed the hacienda to feature traditional Spanish, colonial Mexican, and southwestern Pueblo influences. The eight-bedroom, eight and a half-bath Pueblo Revival-style residence features a landscaped courtyard, swimming pool, tennis court, and multiple portals and decks. A 3,000 foot, two-bedroom, two-bath guest house stands nearby.
Cañon Blanco Ranch has more than 150 miles of private roads that wind through sizable pastures of native grasses. It’s also a working cattle ranch on well-managed rangeland, with over 70 wells and an underground pipeline to efficiently transport water to all parts of the ranch. The ranch headquarters feature equestrian facilities including a riding arena, storage buildings, corrals, outbuildings, and a restored 19th-century rock house. Cañon Blanco Ranch is an enormous expanse of land, with rare proximity to Santa Fe and the varied and historic terrain in all directions.
The Cañon Blanco Ranch represents a clear and distinct opportunity to acquire an incredibly rare land asset. This ranch presents a solid long-term capital investment strategy, incredible location, large landmass for the area, and multi-dimensional exit strategy. It is incredibly rare for a ranch of this size, proximity, and location to Santa Fe to become available to the open market. Due to the ranch's location, size, and accessibility, Cañon Blanco is an exceptional chance to own a legacy class ranch that, today and in the future, is and will be nearly impossible to replicate.
The northwest corner, adjacent to Highway 285, of Cañon Blanco Ranch is located 14± miles southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located on the southwestern edge of the Glorieta Mesa between the Sandia and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The southern border of the ranch is formed by the Cañon Blanco itself. Highway 285 serves predominately as the western boundary, while the Santa Fe National Forest serves predominately as the eastern boundary.
The ranch’s main structure, the hacienda, is only a 30-minute drive from Santa Fe, with easy access to the Santa Fe Regional Airport.
Cañon Blanco Ranch is nestled between a mesa, a canyon, mountain ranges, and prairie land. Its proximity to Sante Fe provides access to some of the area’s most intriguing cultural and historic attractions.
Area Attractions:
Santa Fe
Sante Fe is just 30 minutes from the hacienda on Cañon Blanco Ranch. Rich with historic sites, including hundred-year-old adobe churches, Spanish-colonial architecture, and Native American ruins. Santa Fe is steeped in the past while standing firmly in the present. Modern museums, art galleries, contemporary nightlife, and wellness centers abound. Many visitors and locals alike make a point to enjoy the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Art Week, and even the Santa Fe ski season from late November through March.
Tesuque Pueblo
Just 10 miles north of Santa Fe lies the town of Tesuque. This area is situated near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where the town’s namesake Tesuque Pueblo has stood since 1200 A.D. The pueblo currently encompasses more than 17,000 acres, partially in the Santa Fe National Forest near the Santa Fe ski area. Native artists create pottery, paintings, silverwork, and traditional clothing. The Tesuque Casino is one of the area’s main attractions, with a design inspired by the neighboring landscape, with massive windows to allow guests a view of the magnificent scenery.
Albuquerque
The largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque’s blend of Spanish traditions and Native American tribal history all offers a glimpse into the regional culture. Old Town Albuquerque showcases historic adobe buildings from the Spanish colonization in 1706. World-class museums, cultural centers, golf, and hiking adventures and more make Albuquerque a worthwhile visit. Albuquerque is two and a half hours from Fence Lake.
The high-mesa setting in New Mexico offers abundant warm, dry days — as many as 300 sunny days a year. Rainfall averages approximately 18 inches a year. Much of that precipitation comes as snow in the short winter season, or during spectacular cloudbursts in the July-October monsoon season. Vegetation ranges from cholla and chamisa to Rocky Mountain grasses and wildflowers like Indian paintbrush, blazing star, and verbena. Piñon groves and gnarled juniper, some as old as 1,500 years, provide a special visual signature on this terrain.
The Cañon Blanco Ranch covers an area known for historic Native Americans, namely Ancestral Puebloan peoples. The landscape, with its intense sun, cool elevations, and sweeping convoluted face, has drawn ancient nomads, Native American communities, conquistadores, and pioneers. Explore the ranch, and you might encounter petroglyphs etched in the canyon walls or artifacts such as pottery or arrowheads left behind from centuries ago.
Cañon Blanco Ranch comprises 62,395± acres of deeded and contiguous land, as well as 16,105± acres of state leased land, and 2,392± acres of BLM leased land, for a total combined acreage of 80,892±. The land is characterized by mesas, canyons, arroyos, deep-cut drainages, interspersed meadows, and rolling prairies. Old-growth piñon, juniper, and ponderosa pine create stunning greenery.
14,000-square-foot Hacienda
Cañon Blanco’s most magnificent manmade feature is the hacienda, the owner’s home. This custom-designed grand residential compound of 14,000± square-foot resides atop a high mesa in a dramatic setting, commanding incredible views in all directions without overpowering the surrounding landscape.
The Spanish colonial-style hacienda was designed by acclaimed Chicago architect, Thomas Beeby, and completed in 1991. Soon after, the hacienda was the subject of a special feature in Architectural Digest (September 1993). Despite its acclaim, the hacienda is exceptionally private and largely hidden by an exterior wall. Tall wooden gates open to reveal three one-story wings with covered portals which connect to the two-story main house, all surrounding a Spanish-colonial style courtyard, impeccably landscaped with a central fountain.
Enter the eight-bedroom, eight and a half-bath Pueblo residence to find arched entries, 15-foot ceilings, hand-carved structural beams, double-thick adobe walls, and a massive free-standing fireplace built of granite and adobe. The home includes an elegant, modern chef’s kitchen, and large dining room, as well as two studies and seven bedrooms including a master suite. The second level houses the great room, library, media room, and one additional bedroom. Two game rooms and plenty of storage can be found in the basement.
Within the compound walls are gardens, an orchard, a swimming pool, tennis court, and a parking area, as well as a three-car garage. A lovely caretaker’s house sits a discreet distance from the hacienda. The ranch also has numerous other residences including a ranch manager’s house, two guest homes, a ranch-hand house, and additional homes at various locations on the ranch.
The hacienda is six miles from the main entrance and only 30 minutes to Santa Fe and less than 45 minutes to Santa Fe Regional Airport.
Ojo de La Vaca Horse Center
Six miles from the hacienda is the Ojo de La Vaca Horse Center. The equestrian center includes an arena with viewing stands, two storage buildings, corrals, outbuildings, and a restored 19th-century rock house. Pipe, cedar picket, and rock walls are used in the adjoining corrals.
Any and all seller-owned water rights appurtenant to the property are included in the sale, including 70 wells with additional associated water rights and a significant network of pipelines, water storage, distribution, and irrigation facilities.
Any and all seller-owned mineral rights appurtenant to the property are included in the sale.
Property taxes are estimated at $36,825 based upon past years.
Located in GMU 43, Cañon Blanco Ranch is exceptional big game habitat featuring a very large, contiguous landmass to support resident wildlife populations. The ecosystem on the ranch provides all the necessary pieces to sustain a thriving environment for native wildlife. The land is home to a wide variety of species including elk, mule deer, mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, lynxes, wild turkeys, and a host of small game species. Birdlife includes eagles, red-tailed hawks, ravens, wild turkeys, assorted owls, western jays, roadrunners, and doves. The ranch is and has been very well-managed over many decades and is unique combination of old-growth ponderosa pine, juniper, and piñon tree cover and a wide array of plentiful native grasses. The predominant edible grasses on the ranch are blue gramma, dropseed, and western wheatgrass, while other edibles like Indian ricegrass, squirreltail, buffalo grass, galleta, muhly, and tumble grass are also present. Cañon Blanco Ranch offers an exceptional habitat both for wildlife and cattle who graze upon pastures within 100 miles of exterior and interior fencing. The land features plenty of varying topography, making an ideal habitat for elk, mule deer, antelope, mountain lions, and black bears specifically, in addition to small game species. Especially important to note, the ranch has not been commercially hunted in over 30 years. The ownership group has not allowed hunting and the health, population, and ecology of the herds have flourished.
Wildlife viewing, big game hunting, searching for Native American artifacts, taking in the scenery, off-roading, and simply enjoying the land are just a few of the primary forms of recreation to be had on Cañon Blanco Ranch. Santa Fa and the surrounding area is critically acclaimed for its world-class art and culinary scene, as well as carrying the title “Land of Enchantment.”
