Located just outside Aspen, Colorado, the approximately 3,720  total acre St. Benedict’s Monastery represents the largest holding in the immediate Snowmass/Aspen area. The property sits in a picturesque ranching valley surrounded by the lofty peaks of the Elk Mountain Range. Known for its peace and privacy, the Trappist monks have lived and managed this idyllic ranch for over 68 years. Wildlife and cattle have co-existed for years, and the ranch and adjoining protected lands have retained the same natural habitat and rural characteristics today as they did when the monks first arrived.

Locale

The ranch is just 30 minutes from Aspen and enjoys extraordinary, unencumbered views of the snow-capped Elk Range from Haystack Mountain to Mt. Sopris. Three main creeks meander through the ranch for over 5 miles, including Capitol Creek, Lime Creek, and Little Elk Creek. The property is accessed by a County Road, which then dead ends at the National Forest boundary. Elevations on the ranch range from 7,400 to 9,300 feet.

The ranch has three main characteristics: the 2,780 acre main Headquarters, including the monastery and retreat center; the 437 acre Spaulding Mesa, an irrigated mesa that adjoins the Headquarters to the west; and the 567 acre McCartney Mesa to the south, which towers over the entire property.

The headquarters sits in its pristine private valley, which is formed by Lime Creek, Little Elk Creek, and Capitol Creek.  Small peaks and mesa tops surround it on three sides that rise from the valley floor. It includes hundreds of acres of meadows, pastures, and miles of cottonwood-lined riparian corridors.  The monastery and retreat center is situated on the far eastern side of the valley, with views across the grassy acres of cattle and wildlife grazing to the surrounding mountains and mesas towering over the ranch.  Brushy slopes ascend from the meadows to mesas and steep forested hillsides.

St. Benedict’s Monastery offers a sizable private sanctuary for many activities, including fishing, hunting, horseback riding, hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. Coupled with the general area recreation opportunities, including alpine skiing 30 minutes away at Aspen (Ajax), Aspen Highlands, and Snowmass, the property offers an unparalleled home base for any high-mountain outdoor enthusiast.

Hunting

The hunting at St. Benedict’s Monastery is excellent for any hunting enthusiast. The Monastery is located in Colorado Game Management Unit 43, widely regarded as one of the finest trophy mule deer units in the western United States. Because of the size of the ranch (and associated priority), transferable landowner deer tags may be secured yearly. Deer hunting on the ranch itself is fabulous. Still, the tags also enable one to hunt thousands of acres of the neighboring  Snowmass/Maroon Bells Wilderness, including three drainages renowned for producing world-class bucks.

The area is also known for producing some great bull elk as well. A 350’’ elk bull was harvested in the adjacent national forest. Black bears, wild turkeys,  and mountain lions are also present.  Both residents and non-residents may secure most bull elk tags over the counter. As with deer, tag-holders may hunt the ranch and adjacent public lands.

Fishing

Capitol Creek meanders through the ranch for approximately 2.5 miles. It is a fabulous small-stream fishery with both cutthroat and brook trout. Above the ranch, the Capitol Creek Trail follows the creek for miles through the wilderness, providing limitless fishing opportunities. Trophy rainbows and browns can be pursued on the Gold Medal Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Rivers, both of which are minutes away from the ranch.

Recreation

The awe-inspiring Colorado Rockies are your backyard here. The property provides your own personal trailhead, so recreational offerings include all that these mountains are famous for mountain climbing, hiking, high country lake fishing, horseback riding and packing, backcountry and cross-country skiing, fly-fishing, wildlife viewing, and hunting, as well as all that the nearby, famous resorts and towns offer, such as downhill and cross-country skiing, whitewater rafting, and mountain and road biking.  Peak-bagging on Capitol Peak, Mt. Sopris, the Maroon Bells, and other high-profile mountains in this valley and adjacent drainages are popular activities for locals and visitors alike.