 Red Canyon Ranch  The Red Canyon Ranch is extremely private, yet has immediate access to adjoining Federal Lands and the entire west slope of the Big Horn
Mountains. It has easy paved road access year-round which is unusual for many of Wyoming's mountain ranches.
Just one hour from the Cody airport and 5 miles north of the town of Shell, the Red Canyon Ranch is a very accessible property and the quintessential ranch retreat. Shell, which sits along the west slope of the Bighorn Mountains, is a small town largely inhabited by ranchers and recreational enthusiasts. Most services are available in the town of Greybull which sits 18 miles to the west along Highway 14. The ranch's location is far enough away for privacy yet close enough to amenities to be comfortable.
Acreage: The Red Canyon Ranch consists of 2,042 deeded acres in two parcels. The parcels may be purchased separately.
Unit One: 910+/- acres of which 300 acres are irrigated, home and outbuildings
Unit Three: 1,142+/- acres of which 238 acres are irrigated, unimproved
6,000 +/- BLM leased acres Forest Service allotment for 238 pairs 320 acres State lease
Property Description: A real working western ranch, the landscape offers irrigated hay meadows, native grasses and sagebrush, a cottonwood lined stream, and rolling foothills which back up to the Bighorn Mountains.
Unit One: Red Canyon Creek begins in the Bighorn National Forest, meanders through BLM lands, and then enters the ranch at its northern boundary running through the center of the lower hay meadows. The creek travels through the ranch for almost four miles. Massive upheaval and water flow has created impressive limestone canyons. Palisades rise abruptly from the meadows and foothills of the ranch giving vertical expression to the term "breathtaking beauty". Tremendous multi-colored limestone rock walls dominate the views on the eastern edge of the ranch and are embraced by vivid red hills. Because the ranch adjoins the BLM which in turn adjoins Big Horn National Forest boundary, it is at the "end of the road" and provides extensive privacy and recreational opportunities.
The ranch commands topnotch views in all directions with the Big Horn Mountains directly behind the property to the east, and the wide
open expanse of the Big Horn Basin and Rocky Mountain Front to the west. The creek valley terrain ranges in elevation from 5,000 feet +/- to
6,500+/- feet with cottonwood trees lining the creek bottom, giving way to sagebrush, grama and buffalo grass covered rangeland hills.
Unit One sits about 5 miles northwest of Shell. The owner's residence, a small but comfortable 3 bedroom ranch home, is located approximately 1‡ miles up Red Canyon Creek from Road 85. Several outbuildings, sheds and corrals, complete the operation and all are in good shape.
Water rights out of Beaver Creek provides both irrigation and stock water for this portion of the ranch. Irrigated meadows line the creek and lie under pivot systems in the upper fields. The meadows are a magnet for elk and mule deer and they can readily be seen throughout the fall and winter months. This is where winter feed is harvested and where the cow herd is calved before being grazed on the adjoining BLM lands and National Forest for summer grazing.
Unit Three: Unit Three is about 12 miles southwest of Unit One and sits just south ofU.S. Highway 14 which is also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway. Unit Three consists of 1,142+/- deeded acres with 238+/- irrigated acres. Hay and other crops are produced on this parcel and it provides excellent winter pasture and shelter for the cattle of Red Canyon Ranch.
Improvements: The improvements at Red Canyon Ranch include a three bedroom home, mobile home, a pipe fence feedlot, various barns and sheds, grain storage buildings, and corrals. High speed Internet access is available.
Wildlife Resources and Other Recreation: Elk use the upper hay fields for breeding and forage and they can be seen in abundant numbers during the early mornings and evenings in fall and winter. Mule Deer are plentiful year-round, with very large numbers in the meadows and hills. A smaller number of antelope roam the sage covered hills, and whitetail deer prefer to browse the brushy creek bottoms.
Hungarian partridge, chukar, Gray partridge, wild turkey, and cranes can also be seen on the ranch. Ducks and geese settle on the pond in Unit Three and pheasant are plentiful.
The Red Canyon Ranch is well suited for the equestrian enthusiast. The famous Big Horn 100, reported to be the oldest sanctioned 100-mile ride in the American Endurance Riders Conference wanders through the upper reaches of Unit One. The ride goes from sagebrush to alpine meadows on trails from graded roads to primitive wilderness tracks and climbs from 4,500 ft to almost 10,000 feet.
The western slope of the Bighorn Mountains is truly one of America's most rural and beautiful areas. There are hundreds of streams and
crystal clear lakes for fly fishing, endless hiking and riding trails, tremendous views, and an assortment of mountain peaks. Two ski areas are reachable within 2 hours, and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling are very popular sports. The Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is directly to the north and the main attraction is the 71 mile long Big Horn Lake and its related activities of boating, skiing, swimming, fishing, and hunting waterfowl. Other popular activities include camping, auto tours, biking, and hiking.
Visitors to the ranch can see Ancient Indian tepee rings, as well as several identified dinosaur sites that are located on the property.
Dinosaur Quarry: The Bighorn Basin and Shell, Wyoming are known worldwide to be extremely rich in Jurassic age fossils. Just to the north of Unit One of the ranch, two of the worlds most famous dinosaurs, "Big Al" and "Big Al Two" were discovered. Red Canyon Ranch has its own dinosaur quarry and one of the most complete skeletons ever uncovered of a stegosaurus was discovered on the ranch in 2004. New discoveries are being made almost daily, and will
be for the foreseeable future. For more information on the dinosaur dig at Red Canyon Ranch, go to: http://www.geo-sciences.com/dinofossils.htm
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