$40 Million Will Buy A Unique Estate At Foot Of The Tetons You Couldn’t Build Today

Riva Ridge Reserve has a lot of selling points, from its full-on sweeping view of the Tetons to its three connected live-water ponds that have been stocked with cutthroat trout, all in a mountainside retreat with nature in every direction.

The main mansion has a laundry list of features, including Yellowstone Lodge-inspired architecture, an all-season swimming pool, a three-tiered home theater, wine cellar and a home gym that includes a sauna and steam room.

There’s also a garage with a luxurious mother-in-law suite and a secluded guest house on the land.

It’s all for sale at $39.5 million. But all those features rolled into one aren’t what makes this property a once-in-a-generation opportunity. 

The overall size of this property’s habitable space includes 10 bedrooms and 14 baths in 18,378 square feet on 117 acres.

What makes this property unique and impossible to duplicate in Jackson Hole these days is being exempt from current building restrictions, said Live Water Jackson Hole associate broker Latham Jenkins. Teton County caps habitable space at 8,000 square feet, he explained, while the property’s main house alone totals 12,750 square feet.

On top of that, there’s the 4,000-square-foot guest home and a 576-square-foot studio apartment, as well as a 1,100-square-foot, three-car garage. 

“So, these are oversized houses to what today’s building codes would allow for,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “These are grandfathered entitlements, and they’re very much in demand for larger families who need a compound setting or who want to have a family retreat.”

In addition to all the extra space, the property also checks off many of the other boxes Jenkins’ clients seek in Jackson Hole. 

“This is incredibly hard to replicate in today’s Jackson Hole market,” he said. “The setting is extraordinary. You’re 800 feet above the valley floor, with nothing but nature in every direction.

“You see the Tetons to the west, the Elk Refuge to the north, and Jackson’s lights in the distance. Yet you’re only 15 minutes from town.”

An Exclusive Enclave

Riva Ridge Reserve is situated on top of one of Jackson Hole’s most coveted ridgelines and 70% of its 117-acre compound lies in a conservation easement. 

The Riva Ridge community, meanwhile, is a 500-acre enclave with only seven lots. Among the restrictions in this particular neighborhood is that no home may be visible to another. 

That creates the illusion that each of these seven homeowners is living mountainside in complete wilderness solitude. Even though they’re just minutes from coffee or a meal in downtown Jackson any time they want it. Riva Ridge Reserve includes three connected, living-water ponds.. 

Although pond seems like a misnomer for the largest. Its size is pretty close to a plain old lake, Jenkins acknowledged. 

“It’s probably fair to say it’s like a lake,” he said. “An elevated lake, which water features at this elevation are very rare. And they were developed to be on the property to complement the mountain-top setting.”

Fish Right Out The Back Door With Moose

The ponds have a self-contained water system that circulates water between the three ponds, creating flowing streams. That allows the ponds to be stocked with cutthroat trout.

The largest pond lies just beyond the main mansion’s back patio, reflecting the Tetons across its surface all day, every day.

Large, windowed spaces look out on this backyard pond, making it a perfect serenity center, as well as a great, wildlife-watching area. 

It’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture yourself drinking your early morning coffee, watching a bull moose graze along the banks. 

Or, if you’re a night owl, enjoying a glass of your favorite beverage while watching that moose grazing under a setting sun.

“The bull moose love it there,” Jenkins said. “It is its own mountain-top sanctuary, with quite a bit of wildlife migrating back and forth through the property, between elk, moose and deer.”

There are blinds on the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows, which residents can pull down if they wish. But with no neighbors but curious moose or elk or deer, there really isn’t any need to do that, Jenkins added.

“It’s a place that is very private,” he said. “You can appreciate the stillness of life from it. And you’re just completely immersed in the landscape — elk, moose, eagles flying overhead.”

Think Yellowstone Lodge

The inside of the main home is just as epic as everything outside the home. 

Built by custom-home builder, JH Homes, the scale and the rustic timbers are meant to evoke the feel of a grand old Yellowstone Lodge. The architects have also advantaged the home with epic, 360-degree views in mind. There’s nowhere a person can stand in the space that doesn’t look out on something sweeping and grand.

All those vistas are anchored by a frame of knotty pine timbers, standing like trees in a forest, which separate panes of expansive glass windows. One of them also accents the riverside sandstone from which the floor-to-ceiling fireplace is made. 

A life-size portrait of a wolf stares down from that fireplace, as if trotting down a streambed in the sky as it looks down on the living room, bringing a sense of wildness indoors.

All of the rustic elegance is carefully elevated by features like polished wide-plank wood floors, artful antler chandeliers, and soft leather furniture that looks cozy and comfortable. The furnishings all come with the listing.

Chef-Enabled Entertaining

For the kitchen, there’s an open-concept that’s been designed with professional chefs in mind, featuring dual islands and professional-grade appliances. The area flows naturally into the dining room, which easily seats eight.

There are five, en-suite bedrooms and eight total bathrooms, giving the main house plenty of room for family and guests. 

The primary suite in the western wing of the mansion features a vaulted ceiling, private deck, and a sculpted marble soaking tub that looks like a piece of art all in and of itself.

“That’s carved out of a single piece of marble,” Jenkins said. “It started out as a solid piece of marble, and they carved the tub out of it.”

The main mansion includes an indoor pool and hot tub that’s set in a polished marble floor. When the weather allows, accordion-style glass doors open out onto a patio that looks out across the pond and the Tetons. 

For entertainment, there’s a two-story library ready and waiting for those who love to read. Or, if you’re in the mood for a movie, there’s a three-tiered home theater for a private, but big-screen experience. 

Off-Grid Capable

For those who want to work out there’s a gym, complete with a locker and sauna and steam room. There’s also a game room, as well as the 1,800-bottle wine cellar and tasting room.

A private tunnel connects the wine cellar to the garage studio apartment.

The home has been designed to be off-grid capable for at least one year, thanks to a 5,000-gallon propane tank buried underneath the garage, which connects to a 45-kilowatt generator. 

The homes have been built with energy efficiency in mind, and the monthly bill for all 18,378 square feet has never exceeded $700 per month, according to the real estate listing at Live Water Jackson Hole. 

The garage is an overall 1,695 square feet, including the 576-square-foot studio apartment and space for three vehicles, along with built-in cabinetry and gear storage, plus a greenhouse for growing year-round produce.

The guest house, at 3,978 square feet, is as large as a regular home, and echoes the same Yellowstone Lodge vibe from the main mansion. The two-story structure has four bedrooms and 3.5 baths, as well as an open living and dining area that faces the Tetons.

There are six fireplaces in the guest home, as well as a wraparound deck, and a lower-level patio that includes a fire pit and a sunken hot tub.

Contact Renee Jean at renee@cowboystatedaily.com

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.