LOCATION: This property is located in beautiful Southern Colorado in Costilla County. The San Luis Valley is one of the world’s largest and most breathtakingly beautiful mountain valleys. The Sangre De Cristo Mountains to the east, the San Juan Mountains to the west, and the La Garitas Mountains to the north surround the valley. Our property is approximately 210 miles southwest of Denver, 140 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico and 160 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.
CLIMATE: The average temperature in San Luis Valley Ranges from 82 degrees to a low of 41 degrees during the summer. The average annual precipitation is six and a half inches. Winter brings less than thirty inches of snow. During the winter the average temperature ranges from high of 41 degrees and low of 1 degree, with a mean temperature of 20 degrees.
ELEVATION: The elevation within the subdivision ranges from approximately 7,700 +/- feet above sea level. The land lies on the floor of a large mountain valley with most of the land being level .
OUTDOOR RECREATION: Colorado is an outdoor paradise for sportsmen and vacationers, presenting a panorama of recreation opportunities. This property is surrounded by some of the best natural recreation available in America.
More than one-third of Colorado’s land has been reserved for public recreation, with hundreds of thousands of acres operated by the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado State Land Board, and the Colorado Department of Game, Fish, and Parks. Some nearby nationally known parks and forest preserves include the San Isabel National Forest, the Rio Grande National Forest, and the Carson National Forest. Activities include camping, fishing, hiking, biking, boating, rafting, and canoeing.
FISHING AREAS INCLUDE: Rio Grande River, Rio Grande Reservoir, Smiths Reservoir, Mountain Home Reservoir, Conejos River, Huerfano River, and other smaller rivers within Continental Reservoir, Lathrop State Park, Lakes Platoro Reservoir, Road Canyon Reservoir, and Sanchez Reservoir
WINTER SPORTS: Colorado as been called the country’s winter recreation and ski center. A few of the ski areas most accessible from the property includes Monarch Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, Cucharas Pass, and Taos, New Mexico (sixty miles away). Ice Skating, tobogganing, and snowmobiling can also be enjoyed here. The closest ski area is Red River – 51 miles from San Luis
GOLF: Nearby Golf Courses are located in Alamosa, Monte Vista, Walsenberg, and Taos.
SURROUNDING AREA:
Mosca and Hooper:
These two small, rural towns on State Highway 17 serve as the gateway to Zapata and the Great Sand Dunes for travelers coming from points north. Mosca is home to the Colorado Gator Park (you read that right!) and the Mosca Pit Stop, a convenience store, gas station and popular, local watering hole. Just north of Mosca near Hooper is the famed UFO Watchtower, a collection of other-worldly memorabilia and a raised platform for prime outer space viewing. Hooper is also home to the Hooper Pool – a deceptively simple name for a divine, geothermal swimming experience.
Crestone:
Called the Hamlet of the San Luis Valley, Crestone is a small but active arts community on the north side of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Holistic living, eco-building, solar power and other modern, back-to-the-land values are popular here, as is a connected community devoted to artisan culture.
Blanca, Fort Garland and San Luis:
This trio of small towns on the southeastern edge of the San Luis Valley have a rich Hispanic history visible in their architecture and community events. Blanca’s two small grocers are a popular place for Zapata residents to stop for the basics, and the community center along US Route 160 between Blanca and Fort Garland offers residents an array of fitness and educational opportunities at low cost.
San Luis, just a few miles from the New Mexico border, is seeing a resurgence in its arts and cultural community. Between these three towns, there’s no shortage of hometown-style diners both Mexican and American – to choose from.
Alamosa and Monte Vista:
The business and cultural center of the San Luis Valley, Alamosa is home to just under 10,000 people, dozens of dining options, several hotels, retail stores, grocery stores, parks, galleries, the fabled Rio Grande and its namesake, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad.
Despite being just half that size, Alamosa’s sister city, Monte Vista, is also bustling, with a charming, active downtown, a rural livestock events center and a wildlife refuge that’s home to some 25,000 migrating Sandhill Cranes each spring and fall.
LOCAL INFORMATION:
The San Luis Valley covers an area of about 8,000 miles, about the size of the state of Connecticut, but its total population is less than 50,000.
The valley’s economic engines are tourism and agriculture. Potatoes and barley are the main crop.
There are more than 500 known artists living in the San Luis Valley today.
Native American legend holds that the San Luis Valley is the site of “Sipapu,” or place of emergence. They believe their ancestors gathered to this special place to be led underground and await the cleansing of the earth and the coming of the new world. It’s believed that the exact spot of Sipapu is near the San Luis Lakes, not far from Zapata.
Eighty acres of fields outside Mosca are now home to the largest solar installation of its kind in North America.
The San Luis Valley enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine each year.
San Luis Valley Info: SLV Dweller
Alamosa Info: Alamosa Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
Tax Collector Office: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CNTY-Costilla/CBON/1251595035177
Property Appraiser Office: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CNTY-Costilla/CBON/1251594973867
General Area Info about Utilities and Services-:
Electricity: (San Luis Valley Rural Electric: Troy 719-852-6654. The Rural Electric Association has power throughout the valley, providing power to outlying areas. Property owners may obtain their extensions depending upon their location. It may be desirable and cost effective to install a privately owned generator or solar/generator power supply. Some recent owners installed Photovoltaic Panels and residential windmills. Propane gas service is available through several companies located in nearby towns.
Water: Individual wells for household purposes may be drilled on most parcels. Many choose to have tanks delivered. Permits and requirements should be confirmed by the Colorado Division of Water Resources office, 719-589-6683.
Sewer: Septic tank and leach field systems are required. Permits and requirements should be confirmed by the Costilla County Land Use Office, 719-672-9109. *You must adhere to county health and safety code if you intend to live on the property.
Telephone: Cellular phone service is available and phone lines vary in distance from the home sites, according to your location.
