Discovery Channel Founder Lists Remote Ranch for $149 Million 

Discovery Channel Founder Lists Remote Ranch for $149 Million

Straddling the border separating Colorado and Utah, the roughly 7,000-acre ranch of John Hendricks comes with an observatory, a sprawling main home and an airplane hangar.

The property has an airstrip and two helipads, as well as flat pastures suitable for landing helicopters. Mr. Hendricks is an avid aviator who enjoys taking a helicopter to the various parts of the ranch. 

Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks is asking $149 million for his sprawling ranch on the Colorado/Utah border, in an area known for its red-rock canyons.

The Southwestern-style main house has an outdoor swimming pool. ‘I wanted to build a home that, if you’re at a distance, would disappear into the landscape,’ Mr. Hendricks said. There are hot tubs on the roof and by the pool. 

The house measures about 22,000 square feet. 

The kitchen. 

A dining room. 

The house has two-level circular stone library with a domed roof. 

For years after purchasing the ranch, Mr. Hendricks spent several months of the year there—he recalls being at the ranch while negotiating the deal to air the documentary ‘Planet Earth’ on Discovery. In the past few years, however, he’s spent less time there because of other commitments. 

A bedroom. 

The ranch is actually an assemblage of several properties purchased by Mr. Hendricks in the 1990s, totaling about 7,000 acres. 

Mr. Hendricks built an astronomical observatory with a 12-foot-wide rotating copper dome. The dome opens to allow views of the heavens through a 20-inch telescope. 

The observatory. 

Mr. Hendricks keeps a herd of American bison on the property. ‘We love buffalo,’ he said, and ‘all the guests love to see them.’ 

The property has stables and pastures. Mr. Hendricks also keeps horses on the property. 

A billiards table. 

A media room. 

The property has an airstrip and two helipads, as well as flat pastures suitable for landing helicopters. Mr. Hendricks is an avid aviator who enjoys taking a helicopter to the various parts of the ranch. 

Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks is asking $149 million for his sprawling ranch on the Colorado/Utah border, in an area known for its red-rock canyons. 

By

Candace Taylor

June 1, 2017 10:20 a.m. ET

Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks is asking $149 million for his sprawling ranch that straddles the border of Colorado and Utah, in an area known for its red-rock canyons.
If it fetches its asking price, the property would set a new record for the region, said listing agent Kerry Endsley of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.
On roughly 7,000 acres, the property is an assemblage of four ranches purchased by Mr. Hendricks in the 1990s. It comes with an approximately 22,000-square-foot Southwestern Pueblo-style home Mr. Hendricks built. With views of the surrounding multi-colored cliffs and La Sal Mountains, the house has an elevator and a two-level circular stone library with a domed roof.

If it fetches its asking price of $149 million, the property would set a new record for the region, said listing agent Kerry Endsley of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty. Photo: LIV Sotheby’s International Realty Outside there is a swimming pool, a two-bedroom guest house and a roughly 400-square-foot observatory with a 12-foot-wide rotating copper dome that opens. “I’ve always been interested in space and science,” said Mr. Hendricks, 65. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a telescope.” On another part of the ranch, he built a three-bedroom log cabin in order to “enjoy hiking and being in a whole different landscape,” he said.Located about 180 miles from Aspen, the property also comes equipped for an avid aviator like Mr. Hendricks, who mostly travels to various parts of the ranch via helicopter. There is a grass airstrip, an airplane hangar and two helipads as well as flat pastures suitable for landing helicopters.The ranch also has a barn for horses and irrigated pastures—Mr. Hendricks keeps a herd of American bison. There are elk and deer for hunting, although Mr. Hendricks said he hunts “with my camera.” Mr. Hendricks said he placed about 4,000 acres of the property in a permanent conservation easement, meaning it can never be developed.Joel Leadbetter of Hall and Hall, who represented billionaire Stan Kroenke in his 2016 purchase of a Texas ranch listed for $725 million, said mega-pricey ranches can take years to sell. “The buyer pool is pretty shallow,” Mr. Leadbetter said, adding: “we’re not seeing buyers really reach hard in this market.” Mr. Endsley, the listing agent, said the property is comparable to substantial ranches in other areas, and that its “beauty and topographical setting” make it unique. “There are no comps since this property is irreplaceable,” he said.Mr. Hendricks said he used to spend several months of the year at the ranch, but in the past few years has spent less time there because of other commitments like CuriosityStream, a subscription video-on-demand service. Another reason he’s selling the ranch is that he owns the nearby Gateway Canyons resort, which he said he’s been very focused on lately. Mr. Hendricks added that he and his wife Maureen want to spend more time traveling in Europe.