The 45 Ranch is a wilderness inholding that lies in the heart of the Owyhee Canyonlands of southwestern Idaho, an area that Jim Richmond loved to fly in. Simply known as the “Owyhees,” this is an immense, sparsely populated region spanning portions of Idaho, Nevada and Oregon where sheer canyon walls swell to broad sagebrush plateaus that roll across one of the largest intact and undeveloped expanses of public land remaining in the Lower 48. Jim had noticed and commented on the uniqueness of the property. He had flown over it multiple times, wondered who owned it (it’s not on any aviation chart), and thought it was an exceptional property and he hoped to meet the owners and be able to visit someday.

The 45 Ranch consists of 240± total deeded acres encompassed by the Owyhee River Wilderness Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and represents the only developed private land for over 40 miles in any direction. Access is either from the air, utilizing the property’s private 2,700± foot grass airstrip, or by vehicle from highway 225 and the small community of Owyhee, Nevada, located approximately three hours southeast of the ranch over BLM roads.

For over a century, the 45 Ranch served as the headquarters for a remote ranching operation that spread across the southwestern corner of the state. More recently, the ranch has been used and managed as a four-season wilderness retreat with an emphasis on wildlife and backcountry recreation. The property features a comfortable three-bedroom cabin, caretaker’s home, and several ranch buildings, including a stone house that dates back to the homestead era. The buildings are serviced by a reliable, easy-to-operate, solar-powered electrical system with back-up generators. A satellite internet system ensures ease of communication with the outside world. A row of poplar trees planted by an early owner of the 45 overlooks the ranch compound and an adjacent half-acre, year-round pond fed by river water.

The South Fork of the Owyhee River flows north through the 45 Ranch for nearly a mile, supporting native Redband trout and smallmouth bass along the way, before joining the East Fork of the Owyhee River 12 miles downstream. The upper Owyhee River, including its primary tributaries, the South Fork and East Fork, is regarded as one of the region’s great wilderness river systems. For a couple of months each spring when river flows are optimal, the upper Owyhee becomes a destination for hearty, self-sufficient kayakers, canoeists, and rafting parties seeking solitude and adventure in a secluded canyon environment.

The Ranch and surrounding area offers abundant camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, and other recreational opportunities in a landscape where it is the rare exception to come across another human. Blessed with abundant wildlife, the ranch is home to California bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and numerous coveys of chukar and quail. An extensive wetland restoration effort involving the ranch’s original hayfield has resulted in an even greater concentration of wildlife on the property.

From a cultural perspective, the Owyhees hold a profound significance for Native Americans who have called the area home for thousands of years. Evidence of their existence can be found in the many pictographs, petroglyphs, and artifacts that these original inhabitants left behind. Cattle ranching has a long history in the region as well, and remnant structures from the early days of the Idaho cowboy dot the side canyons and river bottoms. As a bonus, night skies at the ranch are among the darkest in the nation offering stargazers unimpeded views of the galaxy.