Rancho Largo

This private working ranch, operated by Grady Grissom, has many attractions for the visiting birder that make it well worth the $10 entrance fee. There is a seasonal playa, which holds water approximately every other spring, that can be excellent for migratory waterbirds. There’s high-quality grassland with breeding Long-billed Curlews. There’s a fascinating and scenic canyon with eroded sandstone geology, some permanent waterholes with associated deciduous growth, excellent cholla with Curve-billed Thrasher, and plenty of pinyon-juniper. You are likely to see pronghorn and deer, among other mammals. The Grissoms also maintain an extremely nice two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest house that can be rented for $125 per night–$25 of which is a cleaning deposit recoverable if you leave the place in good shape. In addition, Grady offers half-day ranch tours for an additional fee, on which he shares his vast knowledge of agriculture and geology.

County: Las Animas

Attractions: Excellent scenery

Habitat: Pinyon-Juniper Forest, Rimrock/Mesa, Cholla, Grassland/Prairie, Pond, Lowland Riparian

Directions: To inquire about access to this ranch and to get directions, please contact Grady Grissom at 719-738-1699 or gradyg@hughes.net a minimum of 48 hours in advance of your potential visit. The fee for access is $10 per person per day. Please remember that this is a working ranch as well as a private residence, and there may be times when the landowner cannot accommodate visits. While you are on the ranch, remember to stay on roads, leave gates as you find them (whether open or closed), and refrain from taking anything off the ranch or leaving trash behind.

Delorme: 100 A1
Roads of Colorado: 138 B2

Dates of Access: Contact owner prior to visit
Hours: 0
Ownership: Private
Admission: $10/person/day

Restrictions: Private property; owner may restrict access

Parking: Parking lot
Lodging: Guest house

Other Wildlife: herps, Tarantulas

Handicapped: No
Handicapped Access: Limited

Latitude: 37.76699
Longitude: -104.32239

Contact Info:

Contact Grady Grissom at 719-738-1699 or gradyg@hughes.net a minimum of 48 hours in advance of your visit.