Chromo Mountain Elk, Land And Cattle Ranch

17 Landowner Elk Tags! Just 31 miles south of Pagosa Springs, CO and less than 2 miles into Rio Arriba County, NM, one will find the gates to the breathtaking +/-2410 deeded acres of Chromo Mountain Elk, Land & Cattle Ranch! With 9 substantial water holdings and 100% draw on Unit 4 Mule Deer tags, it offers the very best of the best - beautiful Southern Colorado access, scenery and location, with New Mexico’s awesome big game landowner tags.

Land

With a midlevel average elevation of +/-7800’ – 9200’, Chromo Mountain Ranch carries  an incredible resident population of game that only increases further into the season as the adjacent South San Juan Mountain range (10,000’ to 12,000’) starts getting their September to December snowfalls.

Improvements

The Cabin – Hidden away from the world, about 4 miles into the ranch, lies a natural grass meadow framed by a gorgeous stand of aspens and peppered with monster Ponderosas Pines that can easily be 6 ft. wide at the base.  Here you’ll find the off-grid 2 bedroom/2 bath custom-built log cabin with a loft and complete with a gas range, 2 wood-burning stoves and a gorgeous stone fireplace.  A gas kitchen, walk-in pantry, dining area and great room have provided wonderful experiences for 10+  guests at a time.  The well-maintained but dated cabin offers an unparalleled front porch, a mud room and a metal roof for the best sleeping in the world during a gentle mountain rain.  Ideal for the new Starlink internet, one can enjoy unparalleled privacy yet have high speed connection to the world.  Warning: Sleeping can be marginal from late August through October due to the incredible elk bugling in the basin.  The water source is a newly completed spring-fed water line directly to the cabin.
There’s a +/-40 ft. wide open-sided garage with concrete floor for that side-by-side and other equipment.  There’s also a game cleaning rack and meat hanging shed.  Hunting camps generally are known for some of the best food in the world and Chromo Mountain Ranch has an outside covered pole barn perfect for BBQ’ing those briskets and the ideal place for that Blackstone.
2026 additions to Chromo Mountain Trophy Elk, Land & Cattle Ranch

17 annual elk tags make it the move-in, turnkey elk & mule deer paradise you’ve dreamed about your entire life!
Water – A new spring box and waterline, complete with new 1750 gallon cistern.  The 2bedroom/2 bath lodge with loft has complete new plumbing throughout.
Solar Power – Two custom designed buildings were installed to house the state-of-the-art new solar system.  The buildings are custom designed with sloping roofs to house the solar panels, with a back-up generator hook-up, complementing the all new underground conduit and complete wiring  and fixtures throughout the cabin.
Game & Cattle Water – Chromo Mountain Ranch currently has 8 active water sources holding incredible elk, deer, bear, turkey and other game on the ranch.  The owners took advantage of the 2026 drought, completing a dredging and reworking of an additional 10 ponds and wallows on the ranch.
Elk – The bulls are going hard horned as of August 16th, with numerous rubs being worked and some playful sparring near the waterholes.  Some monsters have already been identified.

Recreation

With no timber wolves, grizzly bears or winter kill, this ranch has historically received an elk tag for every +/-140 to +/-170 acres (always check regulations).
The 4 either-sex archery elk tags and13 rifle elk tags (5 cow, 8 bull) awarded to the ranch annually by the New Mexico Fish & Game demonstrates the incredible game-rich habitat that Chromo Mountain Ranch offers for todays discriminating landowner who wishes to manage their game for family generations to enjoy.
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has been the # 1 Boone & Crockett Mule Deer producing county in North America every decade since 1960 and as long as one applies annually for their Unit 4  Landowner Mule Deer Tag by the mid-March deadline it has historically been 100% draw.
Black bear tags are over-the-counter until the quota is filled and in New Mexico the Landowner Mountain Lion Season is 12 months, with the limit of 2.  Chromo Mountain Ranch also carries a nice population of Merriam’s Turkeys, blue grouse, and offers excellent small game and predator hunting as well.
There’s a rainbow trout-stocked pond hidden up in a stand of aspens, where one can easily enjoy the evening hatch while waiting for that big bull elk or monster mule deer to drop in….  The Quality Waters of the San Juan River, northern New Mexicos holy grail of trout fishing, hosting +/-20,000 trout per mile, is a hundred minute drive!   

Water/Mineral Rights & Natural Resources

With 2026 being the driest year in recent history, the Chromo Mountain Ranch carries excellent water retention (probably due to its history of being a working cattle ranch) with 5 year-round substantial water sources, numerous springs and additional seasonal dirt tanks.

History

Chromo Mountain Ranch has been a family recreational holding for years with no commercial hunting and kept in ag tax status with property taxes in the +/-$2600 range annually.  The ranch was previously a working cattle ranch for generations and still includes the welded shipping pens. The improved gravel, all-weather road to the headquarters is complemented by approximately 15 miles of two-track roads and trails, making for an ATV, side-by-side or hiking or horseback riders mecca.

Location

The town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a previous top 2 choice by Outdoor Magazine, is surrounded by +/-1.8 million acres of the San Juan National Forest, hosts over 30 restaurants, a new hospital, a Walmart, excellent galleries and a G5/Continental Express capable airport and is located a quick 30 minutes to Chromo Mountain Ranch.  Wolf Creek Ski Mountain is 30 minutes further up the pass for Colorado’s most annual snowfall and excellent for the powder enthusiasts!  Durango’s commercial airport, galleries and 100+ restaurants is 90 minutes.  In +/-2 hours you can be in Santa Fe and/or Taos and Albuquerque International airport is +/- 3 hours.
With most outfitters booked up through the end of the decade, and it taking years and years to draw a quality elk or mule deer tag, is it time for you to reward that lifetime of work and invest in a family legacy ranch?
Co brokers welcome.