Mountain View Acreage
Fort Garland, CO 81133
Costilla County, Colorado
Lot Description
Mountain View Acreage - Your Alpine Sanctuary Awaits
Fort Garland, CO 81133
Costilla County, Colorado
Land Description
Wake up every morning to Colorado's fourth-highest peak filling your windows. Step outside to air so pure it changes how you breathe, how you think, how you live. This 5.24-Acre mountain sanctuary at 8,354 feet elevation isn't just property - it's your gateway to the authentic Colorado mountain lifestyle you've been dreaming about.
Picture your mornings here: coffee steaming in the crisp mountain air while Mount Blanca catches first light in spectacular alpenglow displays. Afternoons spent exploring endless wilderness trails that begin practically at your doorstep. Evenings by the fire pit under star-filled skies so brilliant they'll ruin you for city living forever.
Located in the prestigious Sangre de Cristo Ranches, this gently sloped parcel with scattered pine and aspen offers the perfect balance of mountain character and buildable terrain. Whether you're envisioning a rustic mountain cabin, modern alpine home, or year-round mountain retreat, this elevated paradise provides the foundation for the mountain lifestyle that calls to your soul.
The elevation advantage here isn't just about views - it's about living where the air is cleaner, the pace slower, and every day feels like a vacation in your own private wilderness sanctuary.
Mountain living made accessible:
Purchase Terms and Investment Details
Ownership Investment:
Cash Purchase Price: $12,499 total
Immediate clear title transfer
No financing costs or monthly obligations
$99 documentation fee
Mountain Payment Plan:
Initial Investment: $448 total ($349 + $99 doc fee)
Monthly Investment: $248 for 72 months
No credit qualification required
No prepayment penalties
Note servicing included
Property Specifications
Size: 5.24 acres of mountain paradise
Location: Sangre de Cristo Ranches, Costilla County
Elevation: 8,354 feet - true high-country living
Terrain: Gently sloped with scattered tree cover and open meadows
Views: Commanding panoramas of Mount Blanca and Sangre de Cristo range
Access: Maintained road frontage on Slegers Road - year-round access
Zoning: Estate Residential - freedom to build your mountain dream
HOA: Sangre de Cristo Ranches (optional participation)
Climate: Four distinct alpine seasons with over 300 days of sunshine
High Country Location and Mountain Setting
Sangre de Cristo Mountain Paradise: Your property sits within the legendary Sangre de Cristo Ranches, a premier mountain community established specifically for those seeking authentic high-country living. This isn't a crowded ski resort development - it's a carefully planned mountain sanctuary where properties span multiple acres and neighbors respect the solitude that drew everyone here.
Mount Blanca Majesty: Colorado's fourth-highest peak at 14,345 feet dominates your eastern horizon, providing daily spectacle as weather patterns, sunrise, and sunset paint this massive mountain in ever-changing colors. Living with a fourteener as your neighbor means witnessing some of nature's most dramatic displays from the comfort of your own mountain retreat.
Alpine Elevation Advantage: At 8,354 feet, you're living in Colorado's optimal elevation zone - high enough for genuine mountain climate and crystal-clear air, but not so high that winter becomes extreme or access becomes challenging. This elevation provides the thin, clean air that mountain lovers crave while maintaining practical year-round living conditions.
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Access: The Spanish Peaks Wilderness and Sangre de Cristo Wilderness areas begin just minutes from your property, providing unlimited access to pristine backcountry adventures. Hundreds of miles of mountain trails, dozens of alpine lakes, and multiple fourteener summits create an outdoor recreation paradise that extends your property's value infinitely.
Mountain Community Heritage: The Sangre de Cristo Ranches represent one of Colorado's most thoughtfully planned mountain communities, designed by people who understood that true mountain living requires space, privacy, and respect for the natural environment. Your neighbors are fellow mountain lifestyle seekers who chose elevation and wilderness over convenience and crowds.
Alpine Recreation and Mountain Adventures
Fourteener Climbing Paradise: Mount Blanca's multiple summit routes begin just one hour from your property, offering everything from Class 1 hiking to technical Class 4 scrambling. The Blanca massif includes four separate fourteeners - Blanca Peak, Little Bear Peak, Mount Lindsey, and Ellingwood Point - providing years of summit collecting adventures practically in your backyard.
Wilderness Trail Access: The Sangre de Cristo range contains over 200 miles of maintained wilderness trails connecting pristine alpine lakes, hidden mountain valleys, and spectacular summit viewpoints. Day hiking opportunities range from gentle nature walks through aspen groves to challenging peak climbs that test endurance and reward effort with views spanning three states.
High Country Hunting Excellence: Game Management Unit 83 provides world-class hunting for trophy elk, mule deer, and wild turkeys. The high elevation and scattered timber create ideal habitat for big game, while the property's position provides strategic access to both private hunting opportunities and vast public hunting grounds throughout the surrounding mountains.
Alpine Fishing Adventures: High mountain lakes and streams within an hour's drive offer pristine fishing for native cutthroat trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. These crystal-clear waters, fed by snowmelt and mountain springs, provide the solitude and scenic beauty that make mountain fishing a spiritual experience rather than just recreation.
Winter Mountain Sports: The region's reliable snowfall and high elevation provide excellent opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter camping. Wolf Creek Ski Area, Colorado's snow capital, lies just two hours away via scenic mountain highways, offering world-class alpine skiing when you want the full resort experience.
Photography and Nature Study: The combination of dramatic mountain landscapes, changing weather patterns, and diverse wildlife creates unlimited opportunities for nature photography and outdoor education. Sunrise and sunset light on Mount Blanca, seasonal wildflower displays, and wildlife behavior provide subjects that inspire both amateur and professional photographers.
Mountain Wildlife and Natural Systems
High Country Ecosystem: Living at 8,354 feet places you in the montane forest ecosystem where ponderosa pine, aspen, and Douglas fir create diverse habitat for mountain wildlife. Understanding these elevation-based ecosystems deepens appreciation for the complex natural systems that make mountain living so rewarding and educational.
Elk Country Excellence: Your property sits in the heart of Colorado's premier elk habitat, where massive herds migrate seasonally between summer high country and winter valleys. September bugling seasons provide unforgettable experiences as bull elk announce their presence with haunting calls that echo across mountain valleys in spectacular acoustic displays.
Mountain Mule Deer Habitat: The scattered timber and open meadows create ideal conditions for Rocky Mountain mule deer, with large resident populations supplemented by seasonal migrants from higher elevations. These magnificent animals with their distinctive oversized ears and black-tipped tails are commonly visible during dawn and dusk hours throughout all seasons.
Apex Predator Territory: Black bears and mountain lions inhabit the mountainous terrain, representing the apex predators that indicate healthy ecosystem balance. While encounters are rare, knowing you share the landscape with these magnificent animals adds excitement and authenticity to the mountain living experience.
High Altitude Bird Life: The elevation supports unique bird species adapted to mountain conditions, including white-tailed ptarmigan (Colorado's state bird), rosy-crowned gray-crowned rosy finches, and various hawk species that use mountain thermals for hunting and migration. These specialized mountain birds provide excellent wildlife viewing and photography opportunities.
Seasonal Wildlife Patterns: Mountain living means understanding how wildlife adapts to dramatic seasonal changes - spring emergence from winter dormancy, summer abundance when young animals learn survival skills, fall preparation as animals build energy reserves for winter, and winter survival strategies that demonstrate remarkable adaptation to harsh conditions.
Mountain Home Building and Development
Alpine Architecture Opportunities: The gently sloped terrain with scattered trees provides multiple excellent building sites, each offering different advantages for mountain home construction. Choose elevated locations for maximum views, or build among existing trees for natural windbreaks and privacy. The varied topography allows for creative architectural solutions that work with the natural landscape.
Mountain Building Considerations: Estate Residential zoning permits site-built homes and post-1976 manufactured homes on permanent foundations, with 600-Square-Foot minimum requirements that accommodate everything from cozy mountain cabins to expansive alpine lodges. The maintained road access eliminates the challenges of remote mountain building while preserving authentic mountain character.
Elevation Building Advantages: Construction at 8,354 feet requires understanding mountain building techniques, but provides significant advantages including natural air conditioning through elevation cooling, passive solar opportunities from high-altitude sun angles, and spectacular views that add substantial value to any structure built here.
Sustainable Mountain Systems: Solar power systems operate at peak efficiency in the high-altitude, low-humidity environment with over 300 sunny days annually. Well water development provides independence from municipal systems, while septic systems work excellently in the well-draining mountain soils. Propane delivery supports heating, cooking, and backup power generation.
Workshop and Outbuilding Potential: The 5.24-Acre size allows for multiple structures including workshops, equipment storage buildings, guest quarters, and recreational vehicle storage. Mountain living often requires specialized equipment for snow removal, outdoor recreation, and emergency preparedness - this property provides space for all necessary support facilities.
Phased Development Options: Start with basic shelter and utilities, then expand as budget and needs develop. Many mountain property owners begin with RV or manufactured home placement for immediate occupancy, then build permanent structures while living on-site to oversee construction and reduce costs.
Four-Season Mountain Climate
High Altitude Climate Benefits: The 8,354-Foot elevation provides classic mountain climate with cool summers, moderate winters, and dramatic daily temperature swings that eliminate humidity-related discomfort. Summer days reach comfortable 70s while nights drop into the 40s - perfect sleeping weather without air conditioning throughout the hottest months.
Mountain Sunshine Abundance: High elevation and thin atmosphere allow maximum solar energy to reach the ground, providing over 300 days of brilliant sunshine annually even during winter months. This combination of elevation and sunshine creates ideal conditions for both passive solar heating and photovoltaic power generation throughout the year.
Seasonal Mountain Experiences: Spring brings wildflower explosions across mountain meadows as snowmelt feeds seasonal creeks and wildlife emerges from winter dormancy. Summer provides perfect hiking weather and growing conditions for mountain gardens. Fall delivers spectacular aspen displays in golden yellows while elk bugling echoes across valleys. Winter transforms the landscape into snow-covered wonderland perfect for cross-country skiing and cozy fireside evenings.
Weather Pattern Education: Mountain living means learning to read weather signs and understand how elevation affects local conditions. Observe how clouds form around peaks, understand temperature inversions that affect valley floors differently than elevated locations, and develop the weather wisdom that helps mountain residents prepare for and enjoy changing conditions.
Growing Season Optimization: The high elevation creates a shorter but intense growing season typically running from late May through early September. Cool nights and intense high-altitude sunlight produce exceptional vegetables and hardy perennials, while season extension techniques like greenhouses and cold frames allow year-round food production for those committed to mountain self-sufficiency.
Mountain Heritage and Cultural Setting
Sangre de Cristo Range History: These mountains hold names given by Spanish explorers who saw crimson alpenglow at sunrise and sunset, calling them the "Blood of Christ Mountains." This range has witnessed the passage of Native American tribes, Spanish colonial expeditions, mountain men and trappers, and modern outdoor enthusiasts who recognize the spiritual power of high mountain landscapes.
Mountain Ranching Legacy: The Fort Garland area represents over 150 years of mountain ranching heritage, where families learned to work with rather than against the mountain environment. Traditional mountain ranching practices developed sustainable approaches to high-altitude agriculture, wildlife management, and seasonal adaptation that continue to influence land use throughout the region.
High Country Mining Heritage: The surrounding mountains contain evidence of Colorado's mining boom, with abandoned claims and processing sites scattered throughout the high country. These historical sites provide hiking destinations and educational opportunities while demonstrating how previous generations adapted to and utilized mountain resources.
Military Frontier History: Fort Garland, established in 1858 and commanded by legendary frontiersman Kit Carson, protected early mountain settlements and maintained peace between expanding development and traditional Native American territories. The fort's history illustrates the challenges and opportunities that have always characterized mountain living in this region.
Modern Mountain Community: Today's Sangre de Cristo Ranches represent the evolution of mountain living from subsistence survival to lifestyle choice. Property owners come from various backgrounds united by appreciation for mountain environments, outdoor recreation opportunities, and the peace that comes from living where wilderness begins at your doorstep.
Investment and Ownership Advantages
Mountain Property Appreciation: Colorado mountain properties with views and recreational access have consistently outperformed other real estate sectors, with elevation properties near wilderness areas leading appreciation curves. Current purchase prices reflect agricultural zoning values before recreational development drives costs beyond reach of individual buyers.
Elevation Premium Values: Properties above 8,000 feet with mountain views command significant premiums in Colorado's real estate market. This elevation provides the authentic mountain living experience that buyers pay substantial premiums to obtain, while current pricing reflects pre-development agricultural values.
Recreation Access Value: Proximity to wilderness areas, fourteener climbing routes, and premier hunting units adds substantial value that increases over time as these recreational resources become more crowded and regulated. Private property providing access to these amenities becomes increasingly valuable as public access becomes more restricted.
Infrastructure Advantages: Maintained road access and proximity to power lines eliminate the development costs and access challenges that affect many high-elevation properties. This infrastructure balance provides mountain character with practical convenience, creating optimal investment conditions for long-term appreciation.
Financing Accessibility: Owner financing eliminates the credit requirements and down payment obstacles that prevent many people from acquiring mountain property. No prepayment penalties allow accelerated ownership, while flexible terms accommodate various financial situations without sacrificing the opportunity to secure mountain property at current prices.
Purchase Terms and Investment Details
Ownership Investment:
Cash Purchase: $12,499 complete ownership
Immediate clear title transfer
No financing costs or monthly obligations
$99 documentation fee
Mountain Payment Plan:
Initial Investment: $448 total ($349 + $99 doc fee)
Monthly Investment: $248 for 72 months
Total Investment: $18,205 over 6 years
No credit qualification required
No prepayment penalties
Note servicing included
100-Day No-Nonsense Guarantee: When you purchase this property and change your mind within 100 days of your down payment, let us know. We'll either refund your principal payment or exchange it for another property in our inventory that better suits your needs. This guarantee allows you to secure the property confidently before visiting in person. On owner financing, we refund principal paid excluding fees (closing costs, doc fees, note maintenance fees, and taxes). Any late or missed payments during the guarantee period will automatically void the guarantee.
Regional Mountain Access:
13 minutes to Fort Garland (mountain town services)
45 minutes to Great Sand Dunes National Park
1 hour to Mount Blanca trailhead access
1 hour to Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge
2.5 hours to Colorado Springs
Why Mountain Lifestyle Seekers Choose This Property
Authentic Mountain Character: Unlike crowded ski resort developments where commercial interests override mountain lifestyle values, this region maintains the authentic character that attracts people seeking genuine mountain living. Support local businesses, participate in community events, and become part of a mountain community that values long-term thinking and environmental stewardship.
Elevation Advantage: The 8,354-Foot elevation provides the mountain climate and clear air that defines authentic Colorado mountain living. This elevation eliminates the heat and humidity issues found at lower elevations while providing the cardiovascular and respiratory benefits that come from living in thin, clean mountain air.
Wilderness Access: Unlimited recreational opportunities begin at your property boundary, with wilderness areas, fourteener climbing routes, and pristine fishing waters accessible within minutes. This proximity to undeveloped public lands extends your property's recreational value infinitely while ensuring long-term preservation of the mountain character that attracted you here.
Mountain Community Values: The Sangre de Cristo Ranches attract property owners who appreciate space, privacy, and respect for natural environments. Your neighbors are fellow mountain lifestyle seekers who chose elevation and wilderness over convenience and crowds, creating a community united by shared appreciation for mountain living.
Investment Timing: Mountain properties with views and recreational access represent increasingly rare opportunities as Colorado's population growth drives development of remaining suitable sites. Current pricing reflects agricultural values before inevitable appreciation driven by continued demand for authentic mountain living opportunities.
Perfect for Mountain Lifestyle Seekers Who Want:
Panoramic Mountain Views: Daily inspiration from Colorado's fourth-highest peak
High Elevation Living: Clean air, cool temperatures, and mountain climate benefits
Wilderness Access: Unlimited outdoor recreation beginning at your doorstep
Mountain Community: Neighbors who share appreciation for authentic mountain living
Building Freedom: Space and zoning flexibility to create your dream mountain home
Investment Security: Appreciating mountain property with recreational and intrinsic value
Four-Season Recreation: Year-round outdoor opportunities in spectacular mountain settings
Peace and Solitude: Escape from urban stress in your own mountain sanctuary
Information presented is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Buyers should conduct independent due diligence to verify all details.
Your mountain lifestyle begins with one decision. This 5.24-Acre alpine sanctuary provides everything needed for authentic Colorado mountain living - elevation, views, wilderness access, and financing that makes mountain dreams achievable. Properties offering this combination of mountain character, recreational access, and affordability don't remain available long in Colorado's competitive mountain real estate market. Secure your summit today.
Lot Maps & Attachments
Directions to Lot
Driving Directions from Fort Garland, CO:
From downtown Fort Garland, take Pfeiffer Avenue to US-160 E/4th Avenue. Turn left at the first cross street onto US-160 E and continue for about 2 miles. Turn left onto Trinchera Ranch Road N and follow for approximately 6.7 miles, continuing onto County Lane 6. Turn right onto Slegers Road and follow to the property area.
More Lot Details
Lot Price History
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