Long Hollow Ranch

Summary: Remote, private, protected, big, wild, scenic, unique, extraordinary. These are just a few adjectives that quickly come to mind when considering the Long Hollow Ranch and the many facets and features this Hill Country River Region dandy has to offer. Blessed with a collection of live water, monstrous elevation changes, excellent habitat, abundant wildlife, and simple natural beauty, this is sure to be a property that will grab your attention and cause your imagination to run wild. Whether it’s during the day or a dark star filled Texas night sky, one could spend a lifetime here just taking in and enjoying the many views.  

Location: Located in the Hill Country River Region of Texas, the Long Hollow Ranch is found in northwestern Uvalde County, approximately 19 miles northwest of Uvalde, Texas, 20 miles south of Camp Wood, Texas, and is an easy hour and forty-five-minute drive west of San Antonio and two hours southwest of Austin.  

Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone - Conservation Easement: Scattered across portions of northern Uvalde County, there are estimated to be over 100,000 acres of ranch land in Conservation Easements held by the City of San Antonio for preservation and protection of the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Long Hollow Ranch and neighboring ranches to the north, east, and west constitute a contiguous block of approximately 20,000 acres that lie within these Conservation Easements. Often looked upon in a negative light by buyers because of restrictions that significantly limit the surface owner’s use of the property, this Conservation Easement is quite the opposite. While there are some restrictions that prevent development and other uses, this may very well be the least burdensome and most pro surface owner conservation easement you’ll ever encounter. The property may be ranched, hunted, fished, and enjoyed recreationally in almost any form you might want. The conservation easement also allows for two “building envelopes” within the 7,532.21 acres where you could build your private ranch home, hunting lodge, and/or cabin, and create your very own retreat to the country. As large acreage ranches become more and more scarce with continued sprawl and development, we see this as a very positive and appealing aspect of this ranch, as it and the aforementioned neighboring properties will remain undeveloped, and very much just as you see them today. Retaining that private, remote, wild feel that in many areas is only going to continue to be increasingly harder to find. To top it off, our experience in working with the good folks who oversee the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program for the City of San Antonio has been nothing but positive, and you very much get the sense that they view this as a partnership in working with the land owners. Contact agent for additional details regarding the Conservation Easement.   

Terrain: Long Hollow Ranch provides ~550’ of phenomenal elevation change and vista views as far as the eye can see, with everchanging topography and diverse terrain. The ranch has an irregular shape, but at its widest point measures ~ five (5) miles east and west and the same in length at ~ five (5) miles north and south. If that’s not big enough, couple it together with the ever changing and massive topographical features on the property, and you’ll understand why it drives even larger than the acreage suggests. The terrain ranges from deep hardwood and brush covered canyons, to high rocky ridgelines, outcroppings, points, and plateaus, with tree cover and other forms of vegetation that include live oak, elm, pecan, black walnut, sycamore, hackberry, chinaberry, juniper, pinion pine, Texas mountain laurel, guajillo, coyotillo, cenizo, desert willow, catclaw acacia, leatherstem, Texas persimmon, huisache, blackbrush, sotol, Spanish dagger, and many other varieties. Comanche, Tonkawa, and Lipan Apache are believed to have long ago inhabited the area and their past presence on the ranch is evidenced by artifacts that have been found.    

River Frontage and Additional Water Features: Over 3,000’ of beautiful, easily accessible, and highly sought after Nueces River frontage creates the northwesterly boundary of the ranch. Long Hollow, a wet weather creek, meanders through the ranch from east to west toward the Nueces River for approximately 2.35 miles and then continues for another ~1.74 miles as a property boundary. This rock bottom water way gathers and grows wider as multiple branches connect and feed into it as it carves its way through the landscape. Long Hollow will carry an abundance of water in rainy conditions, and over time has created some special features such as seasonal waterfalls and plunge pools. It’s also a great place to walk/hike and discover caves, rock outcrops, overhangs, and other unique geologic features. Numerous other wet weather tributaries of the Nueces River begin on and traverse through the ranch, providing additional seasonal water sources for wildlife and livestock.  

Water Wells and Storage: Two submersible pump water wells, elevated storage tank, and a network of buried water lines provide a good supply of fresh water thru the property for livestock and wildlife. This system could be tapped into for domestic use to supply a home, or additional water wells drilled if desired.  

Wildlife and Hunting: An abundance of native wildlife call the ranch home including whitetail deer, Rio Grande turkey, dove, bobwhite quail, hog, javelina, coyote, fox, and bobcat. A variety of exotic species also freely roam the ranch and region, and include some very impressive trophy axis and audad. Whether it’s from one of the many blind and feeder setups, bow stand, spot and stalk, long range, or even a high rack, the ranch and its landscape offer owner and guests a variety of hunting options to choose from. 

Roads and Fences: A portion of the property fronts along TX Hwy 55 where direct access off of pavement is provided to the gated ranch entrance. From there, an extensive network of improved all-weather ranch roads, unimproved pasture roads and trails provide excellent travel throughout the property. These roads and trails provide easy access to and along the Nueces River frontage, or up and along the tops of mountain ridges and plateaus. Approximately 3,600 feet of old railroad bed runs along the western portion of the ranch near the east bank of the Nueces River. This long since abandoned and removed rail line was once part of a ~37 mile stretch of railroad owned by the Uvalde & Northern Railway that connected the towns of Camp Wood and Uvalde. Reaching its peak production around 1924, the line was primarily used as a means to transport cedar posts out of the Camp Wood area, down to Uvalde, and then to markets in San Antonio and points further east. The line was removed in 1941, but remains of its presence still mark the land today and are etched as part of the history of the ranch. Some of the old railroad bed now serves as a ranch road along the western portion of the property. Some new boundary fence is currently under construction and once completed the perimeter will all be low fenced and in good condition to hold and turn livestock. There is some cross fencing in place and a set of working pens located near the middle of the ranch.     

Utilities: Medina Electric Cooperative provides electrical service to the property.  

Easements: In addition to the conservation easement, an electric transmission line easement crosses a portion of the ranch with minimal impact.    

Property Taxes: The property is Ag-Exempt and property taxes for 2023 are estimated to be $8,860.

Airport: The nearest public airport is Garner Field Airport in Uvalde which provides an asphalt runway measuring 5,256’ in length and averages ~34 aircraft per day. It’s also a great stop for lunch at the Hangar 6 Air Café.     

Area: Local area attractions include the Nueces, Frio, and Sabinal Rivers, Lake Nueces, Garner State Park, Frio Bat Flight (the second largest bat population in the world that is open to public viewing), Memorial Park Golf Course in Uvalde, Frio Valley Ranch Golf Club at Concan, and of course one of the most famous nine-hole courses in the country, Utopia Golf, that gained national attention from the book and then movie, “Seven Days in Utopia”, as well as various other aspects of local interest, none of which overshadow the natural beauty of this part of our great state. 

Rare Astronomical Event: Long Hollow just happens to be located in an area that is forecasted to be in the prime path for viewing an annular solar eclipse that is anticipated to occur on October 14, 2023 and then a very rare total solar eclipse that is expected to take place on April 8, 2024. Following this one, the next anticipated total solar eclipse will be in 2044.           

Asking Price: $16,950,000 ($2,250.33 per acre) 

Contact:

Bret Polk – Broker Associate   
254-965-0349 mobile  
bret@hrcranch.com 

Broker & Commission Disclosure: Buyer’s Agent/ Broker must be identified upon first contact with Listing Broker/ Listing Agent and Buyer’s Agent/ Broker must be present at the initial property tour in order to participate in the real estate commission. Commission splits will be at the sole discretion of Hortenstine Ranch Company, LLC. 

All information is deemed reliable, but is not warranted by Hortenstine Ranch Company, LLC. All information is subject to change without prior notice.