THE LAND
Bathed in year-round beauty, this unique property offers limitless enjoyment and activities, celebrating each of the four seasons.
Over the years of ownership, the current custodian of Four Hearts Ranch has amassed a site consisting of 3,906 acres of fee simple land and 2,019-acres of lease and licence land in the South Cariboo.
Alive with Douglas fir trees – some over 400 years old – and with deciduous Birch and Aspen, this verdant landscape is a veritable showcase of British Columbia, Canada’s native flora and fauna.
Stretching as far as the eye can see towards the rolling hills of the Chilcotin Plateau, the property is rife with great swaths of forest, wetlands and grasslands, and eight carefully-constructed homes as well as a number of state-of-the-art buildings which facilitate numerous activities. Set under a constantly changing colour palette of sky and amid the glorious seasonal blush of the leaves, this extraordinary property provides a safe haven for all its inhabitants and an opportunity to rest and recharge.
With four pristine lakes on the property: Straight, Roundup, Milch and the fly-fishing paradise of Simon Lake (awarded the honour of being one of the top trophy rainbow trout fishing lakes in British Columbia), there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy some much-needed meditative time surrounded by silence, punctuated only by the Loon’s call. In BC, the lakes themselves cannot be owned but the land around them can. With such lakeside ownership, it is easy to grab a fly-fishing rod and reel and launch a boat in the still cool waters or to run and jump from the dock for those with more energetic swimming pursuits in mind. During winter the surface waters of Simon Lake can freeze over but a fountain provides necessary aeration for a fishery of rainbow trout reaching up to an amazing 17 pounds!
Leading to Straight Lake is an awe-inspiring wetland, developed in the past in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited and a natural habitat for birdlife, geese and frogs. This is an ecosystem that nurtures itself, providing a sanctuary for resident and migratory birds that provides a vital transition between the aquatic and terrestrial environment.
Land and cattle grazing
A series of interconnecting fields have been put in place to provide a healthy environment for cattle, allowing for peaceful grazing on the Ranch land. Fresh organic beef is a plus and one that the local butcher is pleased to assist with.
There are also hay fields that provide feed for the cattle and a barn/store room to keep the hay and machinery. Ultimately, this established agricultural production provides the opportunity for a minimal land tax status.
This considered approach to herd accessibility and maintenance has been born out of generations of Cariboo knowledge.
The chickens on the Ranch provide fresh eggs and one of the fun tasks of the day is picking the eggs out of the coop.
The current herd of 37 cattle together with the five Morgan horses (renowned for their geniality and hardiness) could be included in the sale.
The Equestrian Centre
Four Hearts Ranch had the honour of having the largest stable of Lippitt Morgan horses in British Columbia with a series of sophisticated buildings to accommodate their – and every rider’s – needs.
This horses’ paradise includes a stable with individual stalls for at least 10 horses as well as a flexible foaling/nursing stall. Several of the stalls have exterior access that channel the horses down to an adjoining field. Also included is a round pen for training and exercise, a stunning state-of-the-art riding arena with a sprinkler system to keep any dust down, a dedicated hay barn, a carpenter shop and modern storage barn for machinery, paddocks with individual horse shelters and automatic waterers, and expansive fenced fields in which the horses can roam. A fully-equipped, two-bedroom Wrangler’s Cottage is situated close to the paddocks and barns for ease of supervision and care of the horses, and to get them tacked up for family and guests to ride.
There is no better landscape for riding than the surrounding grasslands and meadows of the Ranch and myriad winding trails in the South Cariboo that can be endlessly explored on horseback. The Cariboo is truly “Cowboy Country” with ample opportunity to enjoy the myriad community-oriented activities that abound, such as the local rodeo which is a real crowd pleaser and one that the current owners rarely miss.