Big Lake Ranch

Big Lake Ranch: Trophy Trout Lake and 4,000± Feet of Tomichi Creek

Just minutes outside of Gunnison, Big Lake Ranch offers a setting that is hard to duplicate. Here you’ll find 320± acres with Tomichi Creek running right through the heart of the property, backed by a 9± acre trophy trout lake that holds both rainbows and browns — a nearly 50-foot-deep lake that sustains a healthy crawfish population.

Key Features:
•Creek & Lake: Tomichi Creek runs through the property with 4,000± feet of private frontage and a 9± acre trophy trout lake nearly 50 feet deep.
•Hunting: Located in GMU 67, well-known for strong deer and elk populations; enrolled in Colorado’s Landowner Preference Program for tag eligibility.
•Improvements: 2,276± sq ft home (built 1997) overlooking the Gunnison Basin and a 6,900± sq ft outbuilding.
•Water Rights: Over 18 CFS of senior water rights from Griffing No. 1 and McCanne No. 3 Ditches

The ranch includes a comfortable 2,276± square-foot home, built in 1997, that looks out across the Gunnison Basin. There’s also a 6,900± square-foot outbuilding, ideal for equipment and hay storage, and equally suited for horses.

This valley has a long-standing cowboy tradition. Gunnison is home to the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA rodeo, which has been running for 126 years. The local need for quality equestrian facilities is strong and Big Lake Ranch fills that need perfectly.

Agriculture here is no afterthought. The ranch comes with senior water rights and produces some of the best hay in the basin — about 2.5 tons per acre with a single cutting. Pastures are strong, and the productivity is matched by the scenery. The property borders BLM ground, and with Gunnison County being 82% public land, the backyard here feels endless.

Hunting opportunities are just as strong. The ranch sits in Game Management Unit 67, an area well known for its deer and elk herds. With enrollment in Colorado’s Landowner Preference Program, the property also offers valuable benefits in securing tags for big game seasons.

Fishing is exceptional and varied. In addition to the 9± acre trophy trout lake and 4,000± feet of private Tomichi Creek frontage, the property adjoins the 465± acre Tomichi Creek State Wildlife Area, which provides access to another four miles of prime trout water. Beyond the ranch, the Gunnison Basin is a lifetime’s worth of angling: the Gunnison River, Taylor, East, Lake Fork, Quartz, Ohio, Cochetopa, and Cebolla Creeks — each one a legendary trout stream in its own right.

Recreation doesn’t stop at the fence line. Gunnison County boasts over 2 million acres of public land, including wilderness areas like Powderhorn, Fossil Ridge, West Elk, La Garita, and more. Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest lake, sits just down the road, offering big-water fishing and boating in a spectacular canyon setting. Crested Butte, with its rich history and world-class ski mountain, is within easy reach as well.

Add to all this the convenience of Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport (KGUC) just minutes away, with both commercial service and full FBO support for private aircraft.
Big Lake Ranch is not just an agricultural holding, not just a fishery, and not just a recreational getaway. It’s a property that brings together everything the Gunnison Valley is known for — water, wildlife, Western heritage, and wide-open spaces.