, Bandera, TX (Bandera County)

This ranch offers great variety for a relatively small parcel and includes alluvial bottomland in the Mickle Creek and other valleys coupled with steep, rocky hillsides and mesa tops that are mostly thick with cedar. High valleys feature good diversity of hardwoods with cherry, walnut, live oak and Texas oak. Sycamores populate the creek beds. Native grass species include bluestems, grama and indiangrass.

Topography is dramatic, with a low of 1,780’ and a hilltop of 2,190’, and there is a smooth bottomland pasture at the front of the ranch comprising about 12 acres. Most of the property, however, consists of steep hillsides, about 30 acres of flat “top” country, two major canyons and two minor canyons. Views are typically breathtaking from a couple of points on “top.”

There are two canyons that have small springs which flow year-round, two near the improvements flow at <1 gpm, and another in a hidden canyon flows at 2 to 3 gpm. These springs create scenic small creeks that flow above and below the gravel for short stretches, with fern-lined wading pools and small, gurgling waterfalls which charm and relax the senses.

The ranch is fenced, and has some cross fencing in the front pasture. There is a board fence around some of the bottomland in the front of the ranch. The fence condition is rated as poor to fair. Ranch roads provide access to the bottom areas, and there is a good road up to the mesa top. A road leading down to a spring canyon in the back of the ranch is strictly a Jeep or four wheeler road only.

There is a rustic 2 bedroom, 2 bath wood frame cabin with all conveniences that provides adequate housing. This residence has lofts, a kitchen and living room, and is plenty comfortable for weekend use. A water well with submersible pump services this location, and there is electricity and telephone service to the site.

Nearby are two wood frame structures, mostly completed, that comprise an Old West hotel and saloon. These buildings are quaint and usable, but do not provide a significant contribution to the overall value of the property. An old barn is adjacent to these structures, all of which are perched on a hillside overlooking the Mickle Creek valley and bottomland fields.

In summary, this unique ranch possesses all of the attributes one would hope for in a Hill Country retreat, yet is of a size that allows “regular folks” to experience rural property ownership in a truly spectacular area that is far from rooftop-type development. One visit is all it will take!