This 5 acre off-grid property offers incredible mountain views and is just 1.8 miles east of the Rio Grande River, and only 3/4 mile east of the Rio Grande Greenbelt Recreation area with 100's acres for to you to hike and ride ATV's. This land has great access also and is only about 1 mile south of two-lane paved Hwy 142, and only 23 minutes from San Luis. The survey plat map on file with the Costilla County Assessor's office has this property listed as 5 acres in size. This property fronts James Road in the Rio Grande Ranches subdivision, located in the beautiful San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado in Costilla County, and is a short drive from four amazing reservoirs for great fishing and boating. The majestic Rio Grande River is just west of this lot where you can enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and championship trout fishing. Cross over the river at a bridge a few miles to the southwest or 2 miles to the northwest and enter on to thousands of acres of public land for your outdoor recreational enjoyment: hunting, hiking, primitive tent camping, etc. This property offers incredible mountain views of Blanca Peak (towering 14,345 ft into the sky and 4th highest peak in the Rocky Mountain range), the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, Ute Mountain, the Pinion Hills, and is close to the Southern Colorado towns of Alamosa, Blanca, Fort Garland, Sanford, and San Luis. San Luis is the oldest town in Colorado, established in 1851. The Valley has a rich and fascinating history, with many historical monuments and sites for you to visit. Alamosa, the larger of these towns, with a population of about 9,800 people, is only 30 miles to the northwest of this lot and has a Walmart Supercenter, an Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply Co., various other retail stores, restaurants, hotels, a regional airport, and even a small university. Taos, NM is about 1.25 hours to the south and provides some great winter skiing, various outdoor recreation opportunities, and a thriving art culture. Colorado Springs and Denver are located only about 3 and 4 hours to the northeast respectively. This 5-acre ranch has 330 feet of road frontage on James Road and is a very deep 660 ft. The mountain views from the land are stunning. Ute Mountain in New Mexico provides some challenging hiking and is located about 24 miles south over the border in New Mexico. The legal description of this lot is RIO RANDE RANCHES UNIT 48 BLOCK 13 LOT 3. The parcel ID number is 71558460. Taxes are only about $50 per year and paid current. The new landowner will not have to pay taxes again until early 2023. This lot was surveyed and staked many years ago by the subdivision developer. A plat map for the lot is available from the Costilla County Assessor's office. We provide GPS Coordinates for all four corners of the property for easy location of your land. Each of our Southern Colorado ranches are nestled between the magnificent Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range on the south and east sides, and the La Garita and Conejos-Brazos Mountain Range to the north and west. The San Luis Valley provides a myriad of outdoor recreation opportunities: hike majestic Blanca Peak and dozens of other trails up other nearby mountain ranges and throughout the Valley; traverse the dunes and recreate in the river at Great Sand Dunes National Park; recreate in thousands of acres of State Recreation areas; explore thousands of acres of wildlife refuges and BLM land (about 80,000 acres of federal land is right across the river for public use); visit Zapata Falls; short-term camp on your property; canoe and kayak the Rio Grande River and try your hand at some championship trout fishing; boat, kayak, canoe, and fish in the County's four reservoirs: Smith, Mountain Home, Sanchez, and Sanchez Stabilizing Reservoirs; visit the many historical sites dating back to the mid 1850s; mountain bike; bring your ATVs. If you are looking for an incredible photography venue, you will love this place. If you are a hunter, the San Luis Valley provides some of the best big game hunting in the State of Colorado. Solar is the option of choice for power on this off-grid ranch as there are almost 300 days of sunshine per year here. The San Luis Valley experiences a high desert climate (average elevation of about 7,600 feet above sea level). Summer temperatures in the Valley are moderate, and winters are cold with not much snow. Heating a homestead in the winter would be by propane or a wood-burning furnace. If you build a home, you will need to have a septic system installed, and you will also need a permanent water source: either a household well, or an underground cistern where you would haul water in and/or build a water-catchment system. This great lot is zoned Estate Residential, but you are permitted to camp on your property for up to 14 days every 3 months without a camping permit. There is no time limit to build. Homes need be a minimum of 600 square feet, with a wide variety of home types allowed. You can put up a fence without a permit even before building. You can have chickens in a coop. There are no liens and no back taxes on this land. We will convey this property to the new landowner through a Warranty Deed, the highest form of Deed conveyance, guaranteeing no liens and no back taxes. Please contact us and/or visit our website for more information about this property, including the simple purchase process. Thanks for looking! Bart and Lori Leu, Westward Ho! Land Investments LLC