This Idaho ranch could be yours for $6.75 million. You’ll need a plane or boat to get there

Shaun Goodwin

Plane, boat, snowmobile or ATV. Take your pick because it’s the only way to get to this 21-acre ranch in central Idaho that just hit the market for $6.75 million.

Situated deep in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness just north of the Sawtooth Mountains, the 11-bedroom, 10-bathroom Mackay Bar Ranch sits on the Salmon River and offers a genuine off-the-grid experience.

“When you think about who’s the next owner of Mackay Bar, it’s someone who really is looking for an adventurous opportunity in their lives,” Latham Jenkins, an associate broker with Live Water Properties, told the Idaho Statesman on Thursday.

Since its founding in 1956, just five people have owned the ranch, which features a main lodge, river suite, four private guest rooms, three cabins, a barn, pantry, staff quarters and hydro house.

But after just under 10 years of ownership, Buck and Joni Dewey are ready to move on from the ranch and find a sixth owner. The Deweys homeschooled their son during their time as owners and are prepared to give him a more typical high school experience, according to Jenkins.

Mackay Bar Ranch has main lodge, river suite and four private guest rooms.
Mackay Bar Ranch has main lodge, river suite and four private guest rooms.

Getting there

The ranch is 8,617 square feet and has 3,000 feet of Salmon River frontage, including a white sand beach at the front of the property. But before you even take your first glimpse of the property, you’ll have to pick one of four adventurous ways to get there.

The two most common methods are by plane and boat. A 2,000-foot airstrip sits on the property, or you can board a boat at Vinegar Creek Boat Ramp near Riggins and drive 23 miles upstream to reach the property. You can also travel to the ranch via trail road 222 by snowmobile during the winter or ATV in the warmer months, Jenkins said.

Mackay Bar is built in the heart of land once inhabited by the Nez Perce and the Mountain Shoshone tribes, who would settle along the Salmon River during warmer months. The ranch was named after the first white settler, William Mackay, who arrived in the area in the early 1900s.

The region Mackay Bar sits in is now protected as the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, ensuring anyone buying the ranch is guaranteed a home that will forever be in the wild.

Hiking and horseback trails connect the ranch to over 2,500 miles of additional routes throughout the wilderness. The Salmon River provides excellent steelhead and smallmouth bass fishing, while the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve is nearby and provides some of the darkest skies in North America.

Mackay Bar is built in the heart of land once inhabited by the Nez Perce and the Mountain Shoshone tribes. The ranch was named after the first white settler, William Mackay, who arrived in the area in the early 1900s.
Mackay Bar is built in the heart of land once inhabited by the Nez Perce and the Mountain Shoshone tribes. The ranch was named after the first white settler, William Mackay, who arrived in the area in the early 1900s.

Property details

In the decade that the Deweys have owned the property, they’ve renovated all of its buildings.

“There’s a 3000-square foot main lodge offering a fantastic Riverside dining facility,” Jenkins said, “and it is supported in service by a brand new commercial kitchen.”

All 21 acres of the property have recently been landscaped and fully fenced. An underwater sprinkler system was also installed using the ranch’s water rights, providing abundant drinking water and irrigation water. The ranch also recently received a new generator and power system, which uses a combination of hydro, solar and propane power. The property is also supported with internet access.

“Those are really critical components,” Jenkins said. “You can appreciate water rights in a remote setting, and in the absence of that, it’s very hard to live there. Mackay Bar is very fortunate for those historical water rights.”

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