The Howell Farm on Robinson Creek

Listing Price: $1,375,000

The Howell Farm on Robinson Creek is located in Warm River, Idaho, one of the most well-known fishing areas in the Rockies.  The quaint, farming town of Ashton is 10 minutes away and provides necessary amenities and everyday conveniences including great fly shops and fishing outfitters.  With diverse and scenic landscape, southeast Idaho is one of the state’s more rapidly growing areas because of the charming mountain towns and agricultural communities.  A 45-minute drive from the property leads to the ski town of Driggs, Idaho, which is located on the west side of the Teton Mountains.  Driggs has received national recognition in recent years and was named number one in the 2002 Men’s Journal article “50 Best Places to Live”.  In addition to the area’s endless outdoor recreational opportunities, Grand Targhee Ski and Summer Resort is an hour from the property and offers access to hiking, biking and world-class skiing. Grand Targhee hosts a number of multi-day music festivals in the summer, attracting fans and performers from across the country.  Rexburg, Idaho, is 30 minutes from the ranch and home to Brigham Young University-Idaho. This college town has recently been identified as Idaho’s fastest growing city and offers amenities including shopping and dining options.  Getting to the ranch is easy as commercial air service is available an hour away in Idaho Falls and an hour and a half away in Jackson Hole. For private plane and jet travelers, the Driggs Reed Memorial Airport offers a 7,300’ runway that can accommodate most large private jets.

The Howell Farm consists of 317 rolling acres with pastures, aspen groves, timbered areas and one mile of Robinson Creek.  The ranch has fantastic, full-range views of the Teton Mountains to the east and alpine views of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest to the north.  Although there are no improvements on the ranch, many homesites exist that allow an incoming owner to design his or her ideal ranch compound.  Serving as the property’s northern boundary, Robinson Creek flows through the ranch in a private canyon setting and provides excellent fly fishing opportunities for native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brown trout.  Of the ranch’s 317 acres, 240 are currently under an agricultural incentive program known as a CRP (Conservation Reserve Program).  The program is designed to rest the property’s soil for a specified amount of time from any agricultural cultivation.  However, this does not affect the ability to build on the property.  The contract expires in September of 2010, at which time it can be renewed or canceled.  Should one decide to renew the contract, the CRP provides the landowner with an income of approximately $50/year/acre.  The contract is administered by the Farm Service Agency.

Robinson Creek originates in Yellowstone National Park and primarily flows through private land and National Forest until it reaches the Howell Farm.  The one-mile stretch on the ranch flows through a beautiful, private canyon setting less than two miles upstream from its confluence with the Warm River and the Henry’s Fork.  This diverse corridor offers excellent holding water for trout in the form of deep pools, slow long runs, riffles and boulder plunge pools.  Strong populations of rainbow and cutthroat trout are present in addition to a small but growing population of browns.  The average fish is 12-14”, however the excellent holding water, healthy insect populations and primarily private water along Robinson Creek allow for the occasional 20” plus lunker.   

For the angler looking for live water adventures beyond Robinson Creek, there is no better spot than this region of Idaho.  Proximity to some of the best trout fishing in the country is less than an hour from the farm.  The famed Henry’s Fork and Warm River confluence is three miles from the ranch.  In 2009, this famous fishery was voted the favorite river by Trout Unlimited members.  Rated as the top cutthroat trout stream in the West, the South Fork of the Snake - also known as the “Queen of the Dry Fly” - is a 35-minute drive to the ranch.  Other options in the immediate area include Montana’s famous Madison River, as well as Wyoming’s Snake, Salt, Green and New Fork Rivers.

It is rare that a legacy ranch like The Howell Farm on Robinson Creek comes on the market.  With its rolling hills, open meadows, aspen groves, green timber, stunning Teton Mountain views and onsite world-class trout fishing, this sporting property is truly exceptional.