Private Estate in Wildcat Ranch 5 Minutes from Snowmass Skiing

The MacKenzie home, in exclusive Wildcat Ranch, is one of the world’s great destinations. A vacation at this luxurious property will allow you to experience a beautiful and private Rocky Mountain environment while still enjoying convenient access to world class skiing and the rich intellectual and cosmopolitan attractions of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Wildcat Ranch is an exclusive 6,700 acre property, limited to 15 estates. As the first owners within the Ranch, the 512 acre MacKenzie portion occupies a choice part of the ranch, a lush private valley just over the hill from Snowmass Ski Area at the end of Wildcat Lake. The main lodge is 11,000 square feet, with seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a private theater, game and exercise room, steam showers, outdoor swimming pool and expansive communal spaces. Featured in the New York Times Home section, the lodge is an architectural marvel, combining classic arts and crafts design, quixotic imagination, and unparalleled luxury.

From the main lodge, there are few signs of other habitation. The lodge sits on a knoll within its own pristine valley. The drive traverses a beautiful grove of aspen trees, which leave long shadows across the fields. In winter, cross-country ski trails lead across the snowfields to a circular trail through the trees. In the distance, above the valley, one can see the the Campground and Sam's Knob runs at Snowmass Ski Area and the dramatic, snowcapped summits of Capital, Daly and Sopris mountains. A quarter mile across the valley, a 1,200 square foot log cabin accommodates up to six additional guests. Accessible by the property’s golf carts in the summer or by snowshoes in the winter, the cabin overlooks a small pond next to an open meadow with terrific sledding opportunities in season or wildflowers and roving herds of elk in the summer. To the right lies mile-long Wildcat Lake, stretching down valley toward Old Snowmass Valley.

Despite the remote feel of the estate, a five-minute drive by our on-site manager will take you to Snowmass Village and world class skiing. A twenty-minute drive deposits you in beautiful downtown Aspen with three star dining, and superb museums, music, theater and shopping. When you return to the house, a relaxing hour in the outdoor spa will ease all the pains of your day, while you drink a glass of wine and watch millions of stars emerge in the crisp, evening sky.

If you never left the Ranch, you would still experience all the pleasures of a remote Rocky Mountain vacation. Wildcat Ranch has miles of exquisite hiking and cross-country skiing for all levels. During the winter, the lake provides opportunity for ice fishing and ice skating. In summertime, use lure or fly to fish for rainbow and cutthroat trout. There are paddleboards and electric powered boats for your use. Or simply stretch out on the rocks by the eleven-foot tall waterfall that pours into the home's swimming pool next to the spa.

The main lodge is hand crafted from rare heartwood pine and stone. The interior design combines intimate inglenooks and dramatic public spaces. Exquisite arts and crafts cabinetry graces every corner of the structure. Each of the seven bedrooms is imaginatively unique, ranging from light filled cupolas to a clever pullman room that makes one feel as if one were traveling by sleeper car across the wilds of Transylvania on the Orient Express. Dark wood and leather furnishings match the standards of the finest five star hotels, with lavish comfort and design. The great room looks out on both mountain and lake from its giant picture windows, and resembles a classic mountain lodge with fireplace at each end of the room, a 30 foot peak ceiling, arched beams and Western-style chandeliers. Many a hotly contested boggle or game of charades has played out before the hearth.

Radiating out from the living room, a series of corridors lead to libraries, small sitting rooms and reading niches. Here an individual can find privacy while entertaining a crowd.

For work or to follow your favorite sports team from afar, there are five flatscreen televisions around the house, equipped with Apple TV and DirectTV. There is also a fully equipped home theater with seating for 15, and the entire house is wired for high speed WiFi. Finally, there are two private offices and several work cubicles with printers, scanners and copying machines for putting out the evening menu.

Naturally, the kitchen has everything one needs to generate a feast for 20 guests.

In summary, for getting away from it all, or having it all, or just enveloping oneself in the splendor of a Rocky Mountain experience, the MacKenzie ranch is the destination of a lifetime.