This column is part of a regular weekly series highlighting the largest land sales recorded each week through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program. To learn more and participate in the program, or to subscribe, click here.
Congratulations to Jay Platt and Helga Baughn with Premier Ranch Properties for their sale this week of the 10,237-contiguous-acre Eagle Ridge Ranch in the Spanish Fork Canyon area south of Provo, Utah. The sale of the $35 million property was recorded on June 18, 2018, through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program. This represents the most expensive land deal recorded to date in 2018.
View property listing on Lands of America
First listed for sale in December 2016, Eagle Ridge represents a unique development opportunity at the southern end of Utah’s adventure-rich Wasatch Front. With a list price of $35 million, this mountain acreage was among the 20 most expensive properties to hit the market in 2016, behind such stunners as Sandow Lakes Ranch ($250 million), Georgia’s Callaway Woodland Estate ($42.5 million) and Lion Mountain Ranch in West Texas ($41.6 million).
Previously owned and managed by the adjacent city of Spanish Forks, the property was marketed with future development in mind. The city developed springs and wells on the ranch for its use, plus an extensive water distribution line available throughout many areas of the ranch and along its perimeter. There is also a private ten-acre lake. The listing materials reference the availability of water rights on the ranch for up to 350 future homes.
In a region of 14 world-class ski resorts that claims—arguably without fear of hyperbole—the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” property assessments for Eagle Ridge Ranch include its development potential as a future mountain resort. About 20 miles south as the crow flies from the celeb-heavy resort enclave of Sundance, Eagle Ridge has the scope to add another 4,200 feet of lift-served vertical to the state’s existing 29,242 feet of skiable vertical. (This would place Eagle Ridge among North America’s elite resorts, a list including Whistler-Blackcomb, Aspen-Snowmass and Jackson Hole—so certainly a lofty aspiration!) Thirty miles north of Eagle Ridge Ranch, the epic dry powder of the Wasatch Front’s Little Cottonwood Canyon (Alta and Snowbird) and Big Cottonwood Canyon (Solitude and Brighton) stands testament to the bounty of Old Man Winter in this part of the world.
Beyond the white stuff, the Wasatch Front is a haven for all kinds of adventure, and Eagle Ridge Ranch is perfectly poised as the area’s newest outdoor-adventure base camp. Located in Spanish Fork Canyon, the property is bordered on the north by over two miles of the Spanish Fork River and on its east by Thistle Creek. Both the Spanish Fork River and Thistle Creek are home to brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout. The western boundary is shared with Loafer Mountain Wildlife Area, meaning wildlife here is plentiful and includes such species as elk, mule deer, moose, wild turkey, black bear, mountain lion, small game species and countless bird species. Eagle Ridge Ranch has participated in Utah’s Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, making it eligible for a number of private land hunting permits through its management of big-game species for both conservation and hunting. Other outdoor adventures on tap include access to tens of thousands of acres of public lands that include hiking, mountain-biking and equestrian trails.
Land buyers can access Lands of America’s comprehensive database of historic sales information by purchasing a LandsInsight account ($199/year), while platinum and basic sellers receive complimentary access through the Land.com Network’s Property Control Center. Click here for more information about participating in the Comparable Sales program.