In 1995, Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks bought a Colorado ranch; decades later, his 7,000-acre estate included a 22,000-sq-ft home and 4,000 acres of protected land

In 1995, Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks bought a remote stretch of land along the Colorado-Utah border. Over the years, he continued acquiring neighboring parcels, eventually creating a nearly 7,000-acre ranch surrounded by red rocks, canyons and wide-open western landscapes, as per several reports by CNBC, Business Insider, and Celebrity Net Worth.

At the center of the estate is a 22,000-square-foot main residence spread across four levels, while about 4,000 acres were placed under permanent conservation protection.

The ranch, known as West Creek Ranch, later became one of the most unusual luxury properties associated with Hendricks, combining an enormous private estate with wildlife, equestrian facilities, an observatory, private aviation access and protected land.


What began with Hendricks’ 1995 purchase eventually grew into a sprawling Colorado property that he later put on the market for $149 million.

How did Hendricks build the sprawling ranch?

John Hendricks purchased West Creek Ranch in 1995, but the property did not reach its eventual size in a single transaction. He continued buying adjacent parcels over the years, assembling the nearly 7,000-acre estate along the border of Colorado and Utah.

The remote ranch sits among red rocks and canyons and can be reached by helicopter or by taking a 55-minute drive from Grand Junction Regional Airport.

The scale of the property is striking, but its location is also central to its appeal. In a press release announcing the 2017 listing, Hendricks described what he saw in the landscape.

"West Creek Ranch is a place where the earth really opens up to tell its story. When you look up at the walls of the canyons, it's all these layers of earth that go back 300 million years."

The ranch was eventually listed for $149 million. According to the supplied Wall Street Journal report, Hendricks later expanded the proposed sale to include his nearby Gateway Canyons Resort, bringing the combined asking price to $279 million.

But the original West Creek Ranch listing remains notable for the sheer size of the property and what Hendricks had built there.

What is inside the 22,000-square-foot main home?

The main residence was designed in a Southwestern style by architect Jamie Daugaard. It covers 22,000 square feet across four levels, with all four floors connected by an elevator.

The house includes eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms, along with a chef's kitchen, dining room, living room and breakfast room. Its more elaborate spaces include a home theater and billiards room, while the property also has a pool, spa and gym.

The residence was designed to take advantage of its surroundings, with views extending across the ranch's landscape.

There is also additional accommodation on the property. The original listing described a three-bedroom log cabin guest house, while later descriptions of the ranch included a two-bedroom guest house near a creek with its own garage, full-service kitchen and another three-bedroom summer cabin with mountain and canyon views.

The estate also has an astronomical observatory, one of its more unusual features. The observatory is equipped with a 20-inch Meade telescope and a rotating copper dome. Later property descriptions put the observatory at 400 square feet.

Outside the main residence, the ranch includes a barn, equestrian stables and irrigated pastures.

The pastures were home to American bison and horses. One description listed five American bison, four American quarter horses, one Belgian draft horse and three miniature horses.

What makes the ranch more than a luxury estate?

West Creek Ranch was not simply assembled as a large private property. Hendricks also placed about 4,000 acres under a conservation easement.

That designation means no roads or structures can be built across that protected portion of the property. The conservation area accounts for a substantial part of the ranch and remains one of its defining features.

The land itself supports a variety of wildlife. The supplied property descriptions mention mule deer, elk, mountain lion, bear, waterfowl and a large variety of small game. The ranch also offers opportunities for hunting mule deer, elk, mountain lion and bear.

There are other features that make the estate particularly self-contained. A grass landing strip, two helipads and an airplane hangar provide private aviation access, with Hendricks usually reaching the ranch by helicopter.

The property also contains dinosaur fossils and Native American rock art, according to the listing information supplied.

The ranch's combination of open land, wildlife and private facilities made it considerably different from an ordinary luxury residence.

The 2017 $149 million listing included the main house, horse and bison pastures, airstrip, hangar, helipad, stables and observatory. LIV Sotheby's International Realty handled the listing, with Kerry Endsley named as the agent.

The property later appeared as part of a much larger $279 million offering that included Gateway Canyons Resort.

The resort added another dimension to Hendricks' Colorado holdings. The 1,700-acre Gateway Canyons property included 72 guest suites spread across lodges and private residences, five restaurants, a spa and business conference facilities. It also offered outdoor activities including horseback riding, hiking and outdoor yoga.

The resort's auto museum housed Hendricks' private vintage car collection. Forbes reported that more than 50 vehicles were displayed there, collectively worth more than $55 million. The collection included a 1906 Cadillac and a rare 1954 Oldsmobile F-88, which Hendricks reportedly purchased at auction for $3.25 million.



A later report from CNBC said the cars were included in the sale.

According to Katherine Clarke of The Wall Street Journal, Hendricks eventually decided to include the resort after prospective buyers interested in the ranch repeatedly asked about it. The supplied material also says Hendricks had been spending more time on other work commitments, including CuriosityStream, the subscription video-on-demand service he founded in 2015.

The original reason given for selling West Creek Ranch was that Hendricks and his wife, Maureen, wanted to spend more of their time traveling in Europe and working on the nearby Gateway Canyons resort.

That explanation marked a shift for a property Hendricks had spent decades assembling.

From the first parcel he purchased in 1995 to the nearly 7,000-acre estate that followed, West Creek Ranch grew into a vast private landscape with an enormous residence, private air access, wildlife habitat and thousands of acres protected from future development.

For Hendricks, the property also represented a connection to a landscape he described as carrying layers of earth stretching back 300 million years.

FAQs

1. When did John Hendricks buy West Creek Ranch?
   He purchased the property in 1995 and later acquired additional adjoining land.
2. How much land is protected?
   About 4,000 acres were placed in a conservation easement where roads and structures cannot be built.