Located along the famed South Fork River Canyon, the Hammer Ranch is a true inholding comprised of 160± deeded acres completely surrounded by Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Mud Creek is a clear and cold spring creek that flows year-round through the ranch for approximately half a mile until its confluence with a side channel of the South Fork of the Snake River just a stone’s throw from the property’s boundary. The Hammer Ranch offers a diverse landscape made up of dramatic canyon faces which open to a lush private valley with Mud Creek flowing through it. Flanked on both sides by rising hillsides, the ranch encompasses aspen ridges and dark timber that eventually reach the elevated grassland benches overlooking the South Fork of the Snake River Canyon to the south and expansive mountain peaks of the Caribou- Targhee National Forest to the north. Given its prime location in the middle of the national forest, the Hammer Ranch serves as a sanctuary for much of the area’s native big game species and wildlife. Elk, deer, and moose can all be found on the ranch due to its abundant timber and cover, year-round Mud Creek, and grassland benches. For the avid fly fisherman, the South Fork of the Snake is located just across the road from the ranch’s gate and is considered one of the best dry fly fishing rivers in the West.
If you are looking for privacy and dramatic views with lots of wildlife and world-class fishing and hunting opportunities, the Hammer Ranch is the perfect place. It presents an incoming owner with the opportunity to own one of the few private inholdings along this coveted stretch of canyon. A landscape rich in conservation and preservation, the ranch represents a truly wild and scenic retreat for future generations to enjoy the seemingly endless recreational opportunities found along the South Fork River Canyon.
Located in southeast Idaho’s Bonneville County, The Hammer Ranch rises from the South Fork of the Snake River bottom to the sprawling elevated benches which make up this scenic stretch of river known as the South Fork Canyon. The ranch is surrounded on all sides by Caribou-Targhee National Forest and its 1,600,000 acres of public lands.
Idaho Falls is the nearest city with over 6,000 residents and is just under an hour’s drive from the ranch. Here you will find all major city amenities, including an array of restaurants, shopping, a commercial airport, and the region’s largest health care hub, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC). Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks is just under two hours from the ranch.
The ranch has been owned by the same family since it was homesteaded in the 1920s. They originally raised sheep and horses and dry farmed wheat and barley along the elevated bench ground. The landscape provided all the critical elements, including feed for their stock and water along the spring creek.
A Conservation Priority
The South Fork of the Snake Canyon remains relatively undeveloped thanks to various groups and agencies committed to preserving this precious corridor. For nearly 30 years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Teton Regional Land Trust, the Conservation Fund, and the Nature Conservancy of Idaho have worked tirelessly with conservation partners and willing landowners to protect much of the land you see as you float down the river. There are over 20,000 acres of protected lands along the South Fork of the Snake and the lower Henry’s Fork River, thanks to numerous conservation easements.
The South Fork of the Snake River has been designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the BLM due to its highly valued wildlife habitat corridors and native fishery which is home to the highest concentration of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the West. This unique designation brings with it special management attention and resources to the fishery and wildlife resources, as well as its historical, cultural, agricultural, and scenic values.
Conservation Easement
There is an existing conservation easement in place on the Hammer Ranch with the Teton Regional Land Trust (www.tetonlandtrust.org). The easement allows for the continued operation of a viable farming and ranching operation along with the development of a principal residence of up to 3,000 square feet, a guest house of up to 1,000 square feet, and additional agricultural outbuildings. The residential buildings’ footprint shall be limited to a one-acre building area located within the five-acre homesite area. A copy of the conservation easement can be provided upon request.
Annual taxes are approximately $124.10.
The Hammer Ranch is located along the canyon stretch of the South Fork of the Snake River. The South Fork proudly holds title as the top native Yellowstone cutthroat fishery in the West thanks to continued efforts and management of Idaho Fish and Game, local outfitters, and anglers who have adopted primarily catch and release ethics. This tailwater fishery flows out of Palisades Dam on the Idaho/Wyoming border northwest for 66 miles through high mountain valleys, rugged canyon, and broad flood plains to its confluence with the Henry’s Fork River near Menan Buttes, west of Rexburg, Idaho.
The ranch is home to a diverse mix of wildlife. This area of the South Fork River Canyon serves as a critical migratory corridor for elk and deer as they head to their winter range. Some will stay on the ranch during the late season migration as it offers great habitat, shelter, water, and forage. Wildlife observed on the ranch includes elk, deer, moose, black bears, and red fox. Birds of prey are also abundant as they use the ranch’s cliffs and trees for nesting and hunting perches overlooking the river and fields below. The ranch is surrounded by over 1,600,000 acres of national forest and BLM lands offering seemingly endless trails for year-round activities, including horseback riding, hiking, biking, or ATV and snowmobile riding.
