Patrick and Lisa Swayze's Rancho de Dias Alegres

Patrick and Lisa Swayze’s

Rancho de Dias Alegres
"Ranch of Happy Days"
7,261.4+/- Deeded Acres
San Miguel County, New Mexico

A New Mexico Premier Private Ranch Estate

In 1997, Charles S. Middleton and Son represented the former owners in the sale of the Rancho de Dias Alegres Ranch to Patrick and Lisa Swayze. Now, 23 years later, Lisa Swayze has made the difficult decision to sell this pristine property so that it can now be used and enjoyed by the new ownership. Lisa and Patrick spent many wonderful days enjoying their life together on this fabulous mountain ranch, but the time has come to say goodbye to this major part of Lisa’s life, leaving her with great memories of the past.

We are excited to represent Lisa in the sale of Rancho de Dias Alegres, a 7,261.4+/- deeded acre property located in the beautiful Gallinas River Drainage of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains west of Las Vegas, New Mexico. With the rugged, shear rock face of Hermit's Peak towering over the ranch, spectacular views of the high mountains and the Peak are prominent. Sunrises and sunsets are unsurpassed. This extraordinarily scenic and nicely improved property features over a mile of both sides of the Gallinas River frontage, including historic water rights from the river.  Other features include a lake reflecting surrounding cottonwood trees, rolling forested land with intermingled green meadows, along with southern foothills covered in piñon, juniper, gamble oak, fir and ponderosa pine dominating the landscape. Wildlife is abundant and includes elk, deer, bear, lion, turkey, eagles, and many smaller mammals and birds. A flock of geese can be spotted on the pond until called south for the winter.

The owner's home is unique in that the architecture of the home and site layout exemplifies Northern New Mexico's historical nature of the early 1900’s. Built as a dude ranch over 100 years ago, the property took advantage of the gorgeous scenery to host “city-folks” that wanted to come relax, play, and breathe in the crisp, clean mountain air. The house still contains some of the original furnishings, saddles, and brochures that were used to advertise the dude ranch long ago. 

The headquarters area is composed of a primary residence, guest house or manager’s home, and support structures. This home is constructed of solid rock walls and siding. This home will survive many lifetimes.

Infrastructure on this ranch is in good condition with fences, watering systems, and pasture care evident throughout the property. Besides the beautiful setting and improvements, its location near so many amenities, yet enjoying privacy and solitude, make this a truly unique property. Only minutes from downtown Las Vegas and only a little over an hour away from Santa Fe and Taos, the property is accessible by car, public airports in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, or by private aircraft at the Las Vegas Municipal Airport with its 8,200-foot, paved runway. 

Location and Climate:

The ranch is located in the mountain setting northwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and just over an hour from Santa Fe. With over 1.5 miles of frontage on State Road 65 (the Gallinas Highway), the ranch is easily accessed year-round from downtown Las Vegas. The ranch also enjoys access off almost a mile of paved State Road 263 on its south boundary. Owner entry to the headquarters is through a private electric gate just off of the highway. 

With nearly 300 days of sunshine, low humidity, and an actual four-season climate, the weather can be enjoyed during each distinct season. The summers are pleasant and cool, and there is no air conditioning needed at the owner’s home. Just open the windows and enjoy the cool summer air. Average annual precipitation exceeds 18-inches with an average snowfall of 2 to 2 ½ feet.

Nearby Las Vegas offers two institutions of higher education:  New Mexico Highlands University and Luna Community College, plus it is home to the Armand Hammer United World College, a prestigious, international preparatory school.  Las Vegas is a historical "old west" town, and the old-town district provides shops, antiques, book stores, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and more. Storrie Lake is a recreational destination with modern camping facilities and utility hookups for glamping or roughing it.  The lake is at 6,600 feet elevation and has a surface area of approximately 1,100 acres.  Storrie Lake offers not only great fishing but is ideal for sailing, windsurfing and water skiing, capped every January 1st with the annual "Polar Bear Plunge". There are five ski resorts within a two-hour drive of the ranch, with the closest only 70 miles away.

Santa Fe, a short drive down I-25, is a world-renowned destination offering unique historical perspectives and a diverse cultural heritage. As New Mexico's capital, the "City Different" offers many attractions, including its unique architecture, the downtown Plaza, fine dining, museums, art galleries, cultural events, shopping, historical preservations, and the world-class Santa Fe Opera. 

Structural Improvements:

As mentioned above, the ranch headquarters are located along the northern boundary area directly off State Road 65.

The owner's home contains approximately 5,908 square feet. It is rectangular, with a 1,440 SF rectangular, open-air courtyard in the center. It was built in 1920 with solid rock walls, slab foundation, and flat roof. The home has been renovated and is in beautiful condition for the age of the structure. The north side of the house is two story. The bottom floor contains a media room, office, gun room, and a utility room with bathroom. The upper level contains six bedrooms, five baths, powder room, kitchen and living area. The interior finish is a combination of carpet, tile, wood floors, sheetrock and adobe walls. There are two large rock fireplaces. 

The manager's house contains approximately 1,200 square feet and is located north of the highway, across from the headquarters compound. The house is constructed of adobe stucco, slab foundation, and flat roof. 

The horse shed is a three-sided structure that contains 336 SF. It is constructed of a steel frame and concrete tilt walls with stucco and rock exterior and metal roof. 

The tack and feed barn contains approximately 960 SF. It is constructed of a wood frame with wood, sheet metal, and corrugated siding and a metal roof. 

Onsite improvements include main internal access roads bisecting the ranch and four domestic/livestock wells. Water quality is excellent, and the source is more than ample to serve all facilities. There are numerous earthen ponds throughout the ranch. The pond at the headquarters is fed by the Gallinas River and could be easily stocked with trout.  With the help of a fishery consultant, trout fishing in the Gallinas could be enhanced and enjoyed by the new owner. The perimeter boundary is fenced and crossed fenced with steel T-posts and cedar staves, with 5 strand barb wire throughout. The ranch elevation at the lower open country is roughly 7,160 feet and the ranch elevates to over 7,700 feet.  

Water Rights:

Rancho de Dias Alegres includes adjudicated water rights with a priority date of 1872 in the amount of 22.8 acres with a total delivery capability of 45.6 acre-feet per annum at the head-gate. These water rights may be used for a variety of agricultural and wildlife production.

Wildlife, Past and Present:

There are numerous species of wildlife that frequent Rancho de Dias Alegres. Mule deer and elk are common and often viewed. A meandering bear, an occasional mountain lion, bobcat or fox are a bit more elusive, but no doubt have a regular presence. Many smaller species of wildlife call the ranch home. Waterfowl will land on the ponds regularly. Turkey, Bald Eagle, and several species of the hawk are common, as are bluebirds, dove, and many other species. 

Mountain Flora and Grama Grass Plains:

The ranch contains many species of plant life and trees in its different elevations. Ponderosa pine, piñon pine, fir, and juniper, along with oak brush and mountain mahogany, make up much of the tree cover on the mountainside slopes portion of the ranch. Cottonwood and willow grow along the draws and Gallinas Riverbed. Blue and black gramma make up the primary grasses on the southern end of the property. Upper elevation mountain meadow grasses consist of several species, including Arizona fescue and mountain muhly. A stunning display of wildflowers appears each spring and summer across the ranch.

Utilities:

Rancho de Dias Alegres is serviced by the San Miguel Electrical Coop with landline phone services, propane gas, and has individual septic and leach fields. Utilities are underground from the old headquarters to the owner's compound.

Taxes:

The taxes on the subject are approximately $3,500 annually.

Summary:

“Patrick and I searched for our ‘dream ranch’ for many years throughout the USA until we found this one. We loved its rugged beauty and the opportunity to ride our wonderful horses, camp, entertain special friends, run cattle, and be good stewards of the land. And it was large enough that we could explore and never run out of new discoveries. It was also a great place to read film scripts, and we even set up an editing bay in the dining room on occasion for projects rather than go back to LA. It’s a beautiful, magical property with something very special about it. Patrick loved being on the ranch so much, it almost took a crow bar to pry him loose when we had to leave! Both he and I would have been perfectly happy being there always. When we first visited the ranch, one of the previous owners told us, ‘This ranch is called Rancho de Dias Alegres which means ‘Ranch of the Happy Days.' Then, she leaned in close to add, ‘And it is.’  And she was right. We’ve always been very happy there.”

The Swayze Ranch is a unique recreational, extremely scenic mountain property, but it also serves as a working cattle ranch with the added benefits of a great location, stunning beauty, diverse eco-system, and ultimate privacy. Anyone would be proud to be the owner of this property, especially knowing that Patrick and Lisa Swayze were the former owners of the property.

Very seldom does one find a property with so many attributes: both mountain and prairie eco-systems, well improved and maintained assets supporting all types of ranch lifestyles, easy year round access, proximity to Las Vegas, Santa Fe, and Taos (only 65 miles) – the list is endless. This one-of-a-kind property, surrounded by the natural beauty of some of New Mexico's most scenic high country, must be seen to be fully appreciated.

Based on our years of experience and in-depth market research, we believe Rancho de Dias Alegres to be value-priced at $1,795/acre or $13,034,213. If you are looking for a well improved, well located, mountain ranch, the Rancho de Dias Alegres is the ideal property for you and your family to enjoy for generations.