Far from the blinding lights of Hollywood, renowned singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson’s secluded California ranch offers peace, quiet, and the beauty of the Northern California coast.
Editor's Note: Kris Kristofferson's original property listing was updated as of October 7, 2024.
In a recent Vulture article memorializing Kris Kristofferson after his death at age 88 in September, critic Matt Zoller Seitz argued that the multi-hyphenate had the career Elvis wanted.
It would actually be fair to say that he had a life anyone would want. The guy did it all. He played high school football and rugby in Brownsville, Texas. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. He trained as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army. He worked as a janitor at Columbia Records in Nashville. He landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s lawn and kicked off a life-long collaboration. He was part of the outlaw country movement in the 1970s. He wrote songs that other people made hits. He was a member of the country super group, The Highwaymen. He performed with everyone who is anyone in country music and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He starred in movies with co-stars like Barbra Streisand, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, and Pee Wee Hermann. He was a husband and a father of eight children. In short, there’s not much the man didn’t do. And he did most of it pretty darn well.
His former home, a 557-acre ranch on the coast of California that he bought in 1980, is still on the market, which means it could be the place you’ve been waiting for to begin trying new things.
Once a dairy farm back in the 1880s, the original road house and barns are still present today on the property. And just beyond the road house, you’ll find Devils Basin and more than a mile of ocean frontage, which might even look a little familiar if you happened to see Karate Kid 3 back in the day.
But don’t expect the bright lights of Hollywood here with any regularity unless you happen to call in a camera crew. Located only three hours north or San Francisco and 20 minutes away from the Little River airport, this Mendocino Coast treasure is first and foremost a place of solitude. It’s impossible not to find peace in a place where you get the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop along with the majesty of old-growth Redwoods.
When you’re not wandering the grounds, rest easy in a four-bedroom ranch home while you contemplate your future. All dreams aside, there’s plenty of room for practical measures like building a dream home, raising cattle, or even taking on timber production.
Big plans come with a big appetite, but don’t worry if you don’t always feel like cooking. While the nearby town of Elk is small (population 599), you best believe there’s Michelin-starred dining available at the historic Harbor House Inn. But unless you have a voice as beloved as Kristofferson’s, don’t try to sing for your supper. Bring a wallet.
Home Highlights
2401 South Highway 1
Elk, California 95432
Price: $17,200,000
Interior Square Footage: 1,900
Exterior: 557 acres
For more information about this property, contact Justin Nadeau at Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty.
Property credit: Anthony Wells/Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty
Family photo credit: Lisa Kristofferson
