5,086 Acres in Fort Davis, TX - $9,917,700
Location
Livermore Ranch has been in the same family since the 1920's as part of the old Cox Ranch and is comprised of 5,086 acres. It is located off Highway 166 a historic Scenic Loop on the south side of Mt. Livermore in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. The property has over four miles common boundary with the world renown 33,000 acre Davis Mountain Preserve and is adjacent to additional large stable private ranches, some with conservation easements. It is part of a protected ranch neighborhood with unobstructed views of the grasslands, canyons, forestlands, and area mountains. Livermore Ranch is very close to Fort Davis and its various amenities like the State Park, National Historic Site, and McDonald Observatory but it is also one of the most secluded ranches in the state at the head of Merrill Canyon. Access is off Highway 166 near the Valentine cutoff where you turn north o...
Livermore Ranch has been in the same family since the 1920's as part of the old Cox Ranch and is comprised of 5,086 acres. It is located off Highway 166 a historic Scenic Loop on the south side of Mt. Livermore in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. The property has over four miles common boundary with the world renown 33,000 acre Davis Mountain Preserve and is adjacent to additional large stable private ranches, some with conservation easements. It is part of a protected ranch neighborhood with unobstructed views of the grasslands, canyons, forestlands, and area mountains. Livermore Ranch is very close to Fort Davis and its various amenities like the State Park, National Historic Site, and McDonald Observatory but it is also one of the most secluded ranches in the state at the head of Merrill Canyon. Access is off Highway 166 near the Valentine cutoff where you turn north onto a private deeded easement for 7.5 miles through three ranches to the front gate where the easement ends and the adventure begins.
Acreage
5,086 acres in Jeff Davis County.
Description
Livermore Ranch is located in the heart of the Davis Mountains, a Sky Island of the Chihuahuan Desert with elevations ranging from 5,800 feet to 8,000 feet. This is the huge bowl with numerous canyons bisecting this high forested rangeland creating some of the most scenic bluffs, rocky outcrops, canyons, meadows, and mountains in the region. This is Ponderosa and Pinion Pine country, huge Oaks, Madrone, and lush grasslands. The central geologic features on the ranch are Mt. Livermore on the north which is just off the ranch and Paradise Mountain to the east, Pine Mesa to the west and a series of 7,000 foot plus mountains to the south creating a private outdoor wonderland with magnificent vistas rivaling any national park in the country. Merrill Creek starts on this ranch carving out a beautiful accessible main canyon with numerous side canyons filled with amazing high mountain vegetation and incredible rock outcrops. The views are stunning and overlook the most spectacular scenery in the entire Davis Mountains- Livermore, Sierra Viejas, Chinati, Paradise, Cathedral, and Haystacks to name a few. Mountain ranges beyond Alpine and Marfa, the Glass and Chinati Mountains (30 to 50 miles distant) can be seen clearly on most days.
The most amazing aspect of the ranch is the ease of access into the ranch through the mouth of Merrill Canyon and the well-designed and maintained road network that allows excellent access throughout the lower canyons and valleys. There is even an ancient pack trail used in times past that now serves as an excellent adventure hiking trail up to the 7,000-8,000 foot Livermore-Paradise ridgeline. The owner recently cleared over 400 acres in the low meadows leaving stately Pines, Junipers, Oaks and Madrone creating a wonderful lush pastoral feel next to the jagged rocky peaks on the ranch and beyond.
Habitat
The Livermore Ranch is blessed with a combination of unique elevations (5,800-8,000 feet) combined with a variety of slopes and drainages creating one of the most diverse assemblages of habitats found anywhere in the state. Topography on the ranch is characterized by major to minor peaks, bluffs and flat to steep valley floors and foothills slopes, with seasonally watered streams, semi-permanent to permanent pools, and small seeps and springs. The more mountainous uplands and slopes are typically a mosaic of mixed emory oak, grey oak, silver leaf oak, pinyon pines and alligator juniper woodlands interspersed with perennial bunchgrasses and native plants of the Chihuahuan grassland savanna up elevation to ponderosa, and southwestern white pines. Lush rich meadows and slopes of cane bluestem, sideoats gramma, blue gramma, deer muley, and big muley with a wide variety of plants, flowers and forbs create a botanical wonderland. Narrow and steep canyon gorges and creek corridors are forested with large oaks, ash, southwestern chokecherry trees, madrone, Mexican walnut, and other hardwood species.
Wildlife
Because of the diverse habitat with creeks, boulders, bluffs, trees, grasses and mountains there is an abundance of game and non-game animals and wildlife on Livermore Ranch. This is big mule deer country and with careful management over many years the ranch has maintained a managed land deer permit for mule deer allowing an extended hunting season while focusing on improving the deer herd. Expanding population of rocky mountain elk in the Davis Mountains are making their way into this high mountain ranch as well as aoudad. There are also smaller native animals and a wide variety of bird species found here like javelina, fox, ringtail, mountain lion, zone tail hawk, black hawk, hummingbirds, and montezuma quail. This is a Sky Island ecosystem at is finest with
many unique plants and animals. The creek corridors are important to resident and migratory breeding birds and as stopover/staging areas for Neotropical migrants. The riparian woodlands are also important to the highly diverse bat fauna known from the Davis Mountains.
Improvements
Once you pass through the impressive main gate guarded by large Pinyon Pines there is an excellent road system throughout the lower elevations that traverses from one canyon system into the next, providing easy access to the many features on the ranch. There is a headquarters located up in Merrill Canyon that provides majestic views of Pine Mesa, and the higher slopes, while being nestled into huge oaks, pines and junipers along the creek.
Headquarters includes:
Large metal building designed into the main ranch living quarters with large high ceiling great room with open kitchen, rock fireplace, bunkroom/bath with wood burning stove, and a nice outdoor porch along the entire west side.
Covered outdoor cooking shed with BBQ pit, and sitting area.
Work shed with concrete floor and attached screened game storage porch.
Propane Generator.
Water storage from adjacent water well.
Water
One working windmill at the Headquarters with closed water storage for the Headquarters as well as large open water storage for the wildlife troughs.
Solar well in the central part of the ranch that stores water there for wildlife trough as well as pumps uphill to large open storage for wildlife troughs up the valley.
Goat Spring up Merrill Canyon from the Headquarters was once captured into a large water drinking trough for past livestock purposes. Today Goat Springs flows down the slick-rock canyon, providing excellent water for the many wildlife species on the ranch.
Two large header tanks are located on the slopes of Livermore and natural water abounds in creeks and canyons throughout the ranch during the monsoon season in the summer.
Price
$1,950 per acre or $9,917,700
Map
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