The property development with a plan...a conservation plan.

Once you drive—or fly—into Steamboat Springs, you’ve entered the real Colorado. While world-class sports have firmly established Steamboat’s reputation as a winter destination, it’s truly an outdoor paradise year-round—every bit as much in the summer as the winter.

Unlike other Colorado resort towns Steamboat is first and foremost a ranching community that just happens to have incredible snow and skiing—and Steamboat is working hard to preserve ranching not only as a way of life but also as a way to conserve the land. A total of 1,800 acres of productive ranchland along the revered Elk River are hosting the development of 62 homesteads for families who want to live on a working ranch, and an astonishing 1,300 acres of open lands will be held in easement. The underlying foundation of Marabou—the property named after the fly-tying material that emulates the flight of life in the water and proves to be irresistible to trout—is not building out the land but rather preserving the land and increasing wildlife capacity.

As Jeff Temple, Marabou’s managing partner and a fourth-generation Steamboat-native, explains, “I was born and raised in Colorado, and I love the American West. Open space, land production, and sustainability with energy efficiency add up to what conservation is about,” he emphasizes. “The earth is a finite resource, and mankind hasn’t been very kind in our history. It’s time to wake up and do a better job.”

Marabou is the only property development in the mountains that offers a return on the homeowner’s investment if ecologically-sound building principles are practiced. “If the homebuilder goes through our design review process and follows design guidelines advocating the utilization of renewable sources, they are awarded monetarily . . . they can earn up to $10,000 back from the developer by working as a team with their architects, designers, and landscapers,” notes Temple.

The 1,300 acres of preserved ranchland will support active cattle and hay operations that will allow residents—if they so choose—to participate in ranching activities. “Marabou families will have the unique opportunity to enjoy the adventures of ranch life and the variety of year-round outdoor activities right in their own backyard, Temple points out. The everyday activities include herding cattle, caring for horses, baling hay, and mending fences—but that is only the beginning.

Aside from the fervent efforts to preserve Colorado’s ranchlands with comprehensive ecologically-sound methods, Marabou’s developers are also providing for the residents’ need to balance ranch living with amenities such as a private spa, a health club, and the Marabou Master Guide program. As part of this exclusive program Olympians, world champions, and field experts will help residents learn not only about ranching but also about all the outdoor activities Colorado so incredibly offers. The Master Guide program opens a door to the northwest Colorado outdoors and enhances every experience—from tying a Marabou fly and landing brown trout to blazing the nature-dense trails by mountain bike or snowshoes. Homeowners will even have access to their own private Olympian guide to take the family up Steamboat Mountain for ‘“first runs”’ on snowboard, alpine, and Nordic ski trails—before they open to the public.

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