Clear Ridge, Big Sur

   A variety of unforeseen circumstances have combined to provide for the unexpected availability of one of the most spectacular properties in all of Big Sur - America’s most majestic and magical community. Rancho Panacea is offered for sale at a price which is millions less than its intrinsic value.

   The grandeur of the ethereal view of nearly fifty miles of the world-renowned Big Sur coastline is accented by the intimacy and power of many different white-water views from the tranquility of the expansive lawn, including stunning, direct views of the sand on legendary Pfeiffer Beach, which is just a short walk away. Pfeiffer Beach was one of the locations used for the Academy Award-winning film, The Sandpiper, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The kaleidoscopic 360-degree purview of this sublime fifteen-acre treasure on Clear Ridge includes panoramic vistas of the Santa Lucia Mountains, inspiring sunsets into the ocean and astonishingly dramatic moonrises above Mt. Manuel to the east. Clear Ridge derives its name from usually being bathed in the sun during the times when much of Big Sur is blanketed in fog. That priceless mystical view, itself, of the clouds below, is otherworldly. A wide variety of wonderful animals, including deer, foxes, bobcats and wild turkeys, freely roam the serenity of the land; and whale-watching from the enormous lawn is superb.

   Historic Rancho Panacea is part of what was an original Spanish Land Grant, and is within what was the 1869 Homestead claim of Big Sur pioneer and cattle rancher, Michael Pfeiffer. Today it adjoins the magnificent Los Padres National Forest, just west of the pristine Ventana Wilderness. The forested slopes on the east side of the property that descend to a canyon include a huge oak tree, adjacent to the road, which was made famous by George Sudworth when he described it, individually, as a notable specimen in his landmark book, Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope (1908). Stately Redwoods and evocative Monterey Cypress trees are bountifully represented throughout the rolling hillsides of exquisite Rancho Panacea. 

   The owner of this dazzling property was granted a Coastal Development Permit for a large main residence and garage, with space for two cars and a motorhome, as well as a caretaker’s house and garage. The infrastructure is already in place, including underground utilities and phone lines, septic system and a 15,000-gallon storage tank with water from the community system.

   There are no “comps” that bear any relevance to this remarkable property, which is so extraordinary in so many ways. Rancho Panacea is truly unique, and fully lives up to its name. This is a very rare opportunity, for the discerning person who understands the things in life that really matter, to own a world-class piece of Mother Earth, and finish developing this very private sanctuary to fulfill his own dreams.

$4,900,000