Lazy Bar F Ranch CODY, WYOMING CODY,Lazy WYOMING Bar F Ranch Introduction: Situated in the South Fork of the Shoshone River Valley, 40 miles southwest of Cody, Wyoming, is the Lazy Bar F Ranch. Comprised of 152 deeded acres, including 50 acres of river bottom, 30 acres of meadows and 72 acres of pasture, this ranch has a variety of unique terrain. It offers diverse habitat for wildlife, including elk, moose, pronghorn, mule deer, mountain lions and the occasional grizzly bear or wolf. Surrounded by public land on three sides, the property offers privacy and peace unrivaled by other ranches. The South Fork of the Shoshone River runs along the property for approximately one mile and two small creeks to complement the river, providing excellent onsite fishing opportunities for rainbow, brook and brown trout. Naturally appealing irrigated meadows, some of which are used for hay production, are scattered throughout the ranch. Year-round accessibility offers the opportunity to live on the ranch full time, or one could make this a summer vacation home. Improvements include guest cabins, a lodge, a 2-bedroom manager’s cabin and an elevated owner’s home with big mountain views. Matt MacMillan, Associate Broker Ted Harvey, Sales Associate John Turner, Sales Associate Toll Free 866.734.6100 www.LiveWaterProperties.com Lazy Bar F Ranch Location: Located in Park County, Wyoming, the ranch is strategically situated at the end of the South Fork Road nestled between the South Fork of the Shoshone River and the majestic mountains of the Shoshone National Forest. Most of the South Fork Road is paved for reliable year-round access. The Upper South Fork Valley provides privacy and a neighborly community. Comprised of historic ranches, this valley is considered to be where the modern- day dude ranch industry got its start. Shoshone National Forest and Washakie Wilderness surround the South Fork Valley providing direct access to spectacular locations like Boulder Basin to the south in the Washakie Wilderness and the famous Thorofare headwaters of Yellowstone River country. Considered one of the most popular gateway communities, Cody, Wyoming, is the county seat of Park County, and it is located 40 minutes northeast of the Lazy Bar F Ranch. The Yellowstone Regional Airport is the commercial airport in Cody, and it is serviced by Delta and United with connections to Salt Lake City and Denver International airports. In addition to being the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Cody provides everything a resort community has to offer. Amenities include state-of-the-art medical facilities, excellent cuisine and lodging, art galleries, museums including the prestigious Buffalo Bill Historical Center, summer concerts, world-class trout fishing, rafting and one of the largest contiguous tracts of national parks, forest and wildlife management areas in the country. Yellowstone National Park is within two hours of the ranch, providing endless opportunities for exploration. Acreage: The Lazy Bar F Ranch has a very unique configuration — it is a smaller ranch From the river bottom on the western portion of the ranch, the terrain in terms of absolute acreage, however, it offers a diverse mix of topography. changes to an elevated sagebrush bench interspersed with aspen trees on The ranch extends from the valley floor to the forest boundary, spanning the eastern side. This elevated site is where the owner’s home is situated. 152 acres. The ranch headquarters and historic ranch improvements are The views up and down the river corridor and across the valley through situated in the lush river bottom of the South Fork of the Shoshone that the Deer Creek drainage are as impressive as any in the West. The water, is a mix of cottonwood trees, sub-irrigated meadows and a year-round varied terrain, forest border and end-of-the-road location give the Lazy spring-fed creek. The river frontage measures nearly a mile and is rich and Bar F Ranch the feel of a large Western ranch. The ranch sits at an elevation undisturbed, providing a home for many species of wildlife. of 6,400 to 6,500 feet. Improvements: Improvements include 8 well-kept guest cabins; a lodge containing 2 dining areas, a large kitchen and living room; a 2-bedroom manager’s cabin; and an owner’s modern home that is elevated with incredible views. A conservation easement covers the majority of the property, however 20 acres are unencumbered for further improvements. The ranch has a total of 11 buildings, including: • A main lodge with large kitchen and seating for 24 • Eight cabins with 4 private baths • A remodeled 2-bedroom manager’s home • A 3-bedroom owner’s house with sweeping views www.LiveWaterProperties.com Live Water: Lazy Bar F offers two small creeks as well as private, year-round world-class fly fishing on one mile of the South Fork of the Shoshone River, one of the most underfished rivers in the Yellowstone area. The South Fork originates in the Washakie Wilderness Area and winds out of the Absaroka Range through almost 25 miles of public land. Wade fishing is great June through October for cutthroats, rainbows and brook trout ranging from 8 to 16 inches. In the fall, there are large browns who make their way into the upper sections of the South Fork to spawn. Nearby Live Water: Rushing down the Wapiti Valley from Yellowstone National Park’s east the Madison and Gallatin, which soon join the Jefferson at Three Forks, entrance to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir is the North Fork of the Shoshone Montana, to form the Missouri River. The mighty Yellowstone River, which River. Easily accessible from the scenic Wapiti Valley Highway, this river drains more than 60 percent of the park, has humble beginnings with its becomes a dry fly angler’s haven in early fall. Don’t miss the source 20 miles south of the park in the Teton Wilderness. browns in October as they run upstream from the Buffalo Along its 115-mile journey through Yellowstone, the river Bill Reservoir during their annual spawning migration. makes a stop at Yellowstone Lake, the largest natural, Yellowstone cutthroat and rainbow trout in the 10 to 14 high-altitude freshwater lake in the lower 48 states. It then inch class, with occasional prizes exceeding 20 inches, can continues north through the Hayden Valley, pours over the be found in the upper two-thirds of the North Fork. These spectacular upper and lower falls, runs down the Grand waters offer casual wading throughout the river’s course Canyon of the Yellowstone and joins the Lamar River and can be negotiated with smaller crafts. Anglers should plan on throwing before exiting the park at Gardiner, Montana. Skirting the southern border big dry flies throughout the season. of Yellowstone is the Snake River. Drawing water from Heart Lake, Lewis Lake and Shoshone Lake, the Snake exits the park near the south entrance Headwaters to the world’s most incredible rivers begin in Yellowstone before heading south to Jackson Lake and making its run through Grand National Park including the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers, which form Teton National Park. The southwest corner of Yellowstone gives rise to the the Madison River. Exiting from the northwest corner of the park are Fall River, Bechler River and the famed Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. History: During the 19th century, the Western frontier slowly developed a mystique In 1913, a young man from Indiana got his first taste of the Wyoming and a national reputation centered on ranching, big game hunting, and the frontier driving a horse-drawn slurry transporting tourists from Cody independent unfettered nature of Western life. As the railroads expanded to Yellowstone National Park. Over several years, Max Wilde studied the and the famous Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West area while working as a dude wrangler, trapper, show fueled the nation’s imagination, soon folks hunter and fishing guide. In 1916, Wilde filed from back East and around the world traveled a claim for a homestead on the South Fork of to Wyoming and the “Dude Ranch” was born. the Shoshone River, the future home of the Lazy Dudes soon found the South Fork Valley with Bar F Ranch. Wilde’s success at trapping coyotes, its undeniable beauty, rich wildlife and trout- fox, bear and marten gave him his start to open filled river. And Cody was the perfect town from the ranch for hunters in 1922. Over the next 40 which to visit the country’s first and finest National Park, Yellowstone. years, Max ran the Lazy Bar F Ranch, which gained a reputation as one of the top big game hunting destinations in the West. The ranch became a favorite In 1959, Max Wilde sold the Lazy Bar F Ranch to Doug Friend. Doug had vacation spot for many well-known American figures including baseball previously worked for Larry Larom at the neighboring Valley Ranch as a legend Ty Cobb (pictured above left with Max Wilde in the 1920s), Boston wrangler before joining the army in the early 1950s. After Doug’s time at Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, radio personality Arthur Godfrey and R.W. the Valley Ranch, he could not wait to return to Wyoming — specifically Woodruff, the chairman of the board of Coca Cola. During the long winter to the South Fork Valley — and soon did so. With his wife, Shirley, Doug months back East, they exchanged letters with their fellow vacationers continued the tradition of the Lazy Bar F and operated the ranch for the recounting the great times they had at the Lazy Bar F and planning their next 10 years, taking in guests from around the world and showing them return the following year.