Scottsdale Magazine
MOUNTAIN LIVING -by Vicki Collins Edwards
August 2005
As Valley temperatures climb, thoughts of elevating our personal perspectives on life draw many of us to a high, cooler climate. To assist you in your quest, we checked out several appealing seasonal and year-round mountainside communities and custom builders specializing in mountain homes within northern Arizona, as well as a few new mountain getaways you may have yet to discover in other states.
On a land with a colorful past at the base of what the Ute Indians called the "Shining Mountains," buffalo once grazed freely across the open prairie. Homestead owners at Maytag Mountain Ranch, a pristine 2,953-acre working cattle ranch, share as equal partners in a community concept that blends the age-old Western tradition of natural grazing and a healthy preservation of the ecology where food will continue to be produced on the land.
A limited offering of just 27 homesteads, each comprised of 100 acres, provides owners with the sense of having their own ranch while the community offers: a Cookhouse Lodge; fully outfitted barn, including horses, tack, riding arena and round pen; ranch ponds and streams for trout fishing; hiking, horseback riding and biking; permaculture gardening; a hen hatchery for fresh egg collecting; as well as an opportunity for punching natural grass-fed Red Angus cows, fixing fences or just watching wildlife at your leisure. Two owner's cabins provide a place to stay at the ranch for a visit while your home is being constructed.
At an elevation of 7,400 feet, Maytag Mountain Ranch lies 65 miles west of Pueblo, Colorado, 75 miles south of Colorado Springs, and 135 miles south of Denver. Summer temperatures range from the high 70s to the high 80s with nighttime lows between 50 and 60 degrees. This special place, where a love of ranching, horses, mountain peaks, fishing and big blue skies is situated between the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Those who prefer to fly in can land at a small airstrip in nearby Westcliffe where they will be met by ranch staff. For pricing and more details, visit www.maytagmountainranch.com.
