LF Ranch Offering Brochure

INTRODUCTION
“Complementing the big-fish experience are the awesome scenery and the sense of timeless
remoteness; there is no place quite like this. Close your eyes and think of Montana 150 years ago.”
Charles F. Gauvin, President and CEO Emeritus, Trout Unlimited
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The historic LF Ranch is, simply put, one of the most magnificent
Montana ranches to become available in decades. The Ranch
encompasses almost 42,215 deeded and leased acres, a sizable
property even by Montana standards. But it is the astounding
diversity of this wild and pristine acreage – almost all of which is
enclosed within ranch boundaries that makes the LF so spectacular
and unique. The Ranch rises from lush prairie grasses through
riparian zones along its many creeks, past the iconic Haystack
Butte, and up the Rocky Mountain Front to the Lewis and Clark
National Forest, with which it shares a boundary for almost eight
miles. The Rocky Mountain Front wraps around the Ranch on
the south and west, forming what is, in effect, a privately-owned
preserve with all the attributes of a national park.
This is the heart of the Crown of the Continent, one of only two
intact ecosystems remaining in the lower 48 states, and home to
possibly the richest collection of wildlife in North America. The
LF Ranch is a jewel in that crown.
Five spring-fed streams, offering over 37 miles of trophy trout
fisheries, and over 113 miles of riparian habitat serpentine
through the Ranch creating private fisheries that yield large, healthy populations of rainbow and brown trout. Virtually every mammal known to the
American Rockies – elk, mule deer, white tail deer, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, wolves, mountain lion – lives here, as well as grouse
and Hungarian partridge. The plethora of wildlife coupled with the diverse terrain, running waters and the protected boundaries makes for unmatched
outdoor experiences, whether fishing, hunting, hiking or horseback riding.
The Ranch currently runs about 1,300 head of cattle and produces about 700 tons of hay annually. This is a low-overhead operation that, under present
ownership, has consistently operated in the black. Facilities, including barns, chutes, docks and pens, are well maintained and efficient. The residential
improvements, including a charming owner’s cabin, are modest but comfortable and designed for recreational use and utilitarian staff housing.
The LF has had only two owners since famed Montana rancher J.B. Long first assembled the property in the early 1900s. Over the last 30 years, the
current owners have enhanced the holding with strategic acquisitions and careful stewardship of the land and native habitat. The result is a legacy ranch
of unsurpassed beauty and biodiversity that also presents an attractive land and conservation investment.