An ideal location and access is an important consideration for any ranch and the Milligan Canyon Ranch has that in abundance. This sprawling ranch encompasses both sides of I-90 with approximately 4,000± acres on the north side and some 7,000± acres on the south side. Additionally, its position straddles the intersection of I-90 and the Milligan Canyon Road exit, controlling all four corners offering both protection and tremendous future commercial upside potential.

The location of the Milligan Canyon Ranch is certainly one of its most notable features. Rarely does a ranch of this size become available within such close proximity to all the necessary amenities we’ve come to enjoy. With Bozeman and its exploding growth being just 30 minutes away and the quaint small town of Three Forks, with all of its western charm, less than 10 minutes down the road, it’s easy to see the benefits of owning a ranch in such a location.

Three Forks, with a population of about 2,000± offers small town hospitality and a friendly nature that can be hard to find these days. Three Forks is home of the renovated Sacajawea Inn and its wonderful restaurants, the Iron Horse Cafe & Pie Shop, the Wheat Montana Bakery and the Three Forks Saddlery. The town also has a local grocery store, gas stations and most general supplies one would need on a daily basis.

Three Forks got its name from the Lewis and Clark expedition as it traveled up the Missouri River to find three rivers coming together to form the headwaters of the Missouri River. They named these rivers after the political leaders of the time. President Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State James Madison and Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. The headwaters is located about four miles from the present day town of Three Forks, Montana.

Milligan Canyon Ranch is just west of Bozeman, Montana, cited as the fastest growing micropolitan statistical area in the U.S. for the last three years. The city, once considered a cow town, is home to the state’s largest university, Montana State, and numerous upscale restaurants, hotels and shopping experiences. Big Sky Resort, Moonlight Basin and the Yellowstone Club, along with their ski runs and golf courses, are less than 90 minutes from the ranch.

Originally built in 2000, the two-story owner’s home has three-bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a kid’s bunk room. It has been remodeled over recent years to include Viking appliances, granite countertops and custom paint schemes among other high-end tasteful touches.

The luxury house is perfectly placed in a quiet little valley overlooking a pond stocked with trout that’s home to ducks, geese and the occasional swan. The pond is fed by an artesian spring under a huge cottonwood tree. The setting is private and surreal with plenty of covered outdoor patios to let yourself relax and soak it all in.

Across the circle drive from the house is a detached two-car garage with an oversized office downstairs and a nicely finished three-bedroom, two-bathroom guest quarters upstairs, complete with its own kitchen and laundry.

Well-watered ranch with 17 water wells, 36 water stations, 4 artesian wells/springs and seasonal Milligan Creek

All water and mineral rights owned will convey at closing.

The Milligan Canyon Ranch currently runs approximately 450 pair easily and up to 800 pair or more in wetter years and with some seasonal, supplemental hay feeding.

The ranch manager’s home and associated outbuildings and barns are on the west side of the ranch maintaining privacy for the owners and allowing for some separation from the day-to-day of the cattle operation. The buildings are well-maintained, fully functional and will meet the expectations of most any ranch manager or foreman.

The cattle operation compound is located more to the center of the ranch backing up to Milligan Creek and fronting the main road to allow easy access for delivery and shipping trucks. The compound includes a cattle barn with pens, calving barn, loading chutes, etc. There is also plenty of hay storage, multiple feed lots, a machine shop and other outbuildings and sheds. The fencing rails are all in good working order and continually maintained. Adjoining the calving barn is an office where the cattle operations are handled. Above the calving barn is another living quarters that is well-suited for any employee requiring boarding.

Situated entirely within Jefferson County, the Milligan Canyon Ranch’s primary viewshed features the backdrop of the beautiful Elkhorn Mountains of Helena National Forest and Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. In nearby Three Forks, the confluence of the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson Rivers comes together to create the headwaters of the great Missouri River. Hunting and fishing is phenomenal in the area and opportunities to experience all that Montana has to offer are endless, including access to millions of acres of state and federal public lands.

Wild game inhabitants of the ranch include elk, mule deer and antelope along with a scattering of upland game birds. While the current owners primary focus has been on the cattle operation, a new owner with more of a hunting/outdoorsman mindset could easily convert some key areas into new food plots with cover to attract more elk and mule deer along with the prized pheasant. With just a few minor tweaks, this ranch could become a sustainable hunting and recreational ranch with an easily managed agricultural revenue stream.