For the first time in a decade, Rocky Point Preserve is ready for its next steward

Photo: Summit Sotheby’s International Realty.

PARK CITY, Utah — Just 20 minutes from Park City, Rocky Point Preserve is more than a residential estate. The 260-plus-acre property is a large-scale conservation landholding that pairs permanently protected land with a working equestrian center, a historic guest cabin and a comfortable family home, all set within a 19.8-acre limited building area surrounded by open space and private trails.

A property found on a hike

Owner Ari Ioannides first came to know Rocky Point Preserve on foot, long before he owned it. He and his family lived in Silver Creek Junction, and their favorite outing was hiking the trails at the end of Silver Creek Road, down the hill and toward a large rock formation known locally as Rocky Point.

“We always wondered who owns this, what is it,” Ioannides said.

About 11 years ago, Ioannides learned the 180-acre property behind Silver Creek, then owned by Dr. Sherman Sorensen and his wife, Elaine, had been on the market for some time. He toured the estate, which included a main house, a barn and a log cabin more than 50 years old, and knew he wanted it, even though the price was more than he could afford at the time.

Ioannides asked to meet with Sorensen directly. Sitting in Sorensen’s wood-paneled office, he made his case.

“We loved that they hadn’t developed it,” Ioannides said, pointing out that the surrounding land, including Promontory to the east and Red Hawk to the west, along with Forest Meadows and Pine Meadows nearby, had all been subdivided.

Sorensen told him the family wanted to protect the property for its wildlife, particularly the elk that gather there each fall. Ioannides made a promise on the spot.

“If you sell me this, I promise you we will do a conservation easement,” he told Sorensen. Elaine began crying at the news.

Ioannides bought the property in December 2015. Not long after, he sold his business and directed his real estate agent to reach out to neighboring landowners about acquiring additional acreage. The effort added about 80 acres, bringing the preserve to more than 260 acres in total.

Safeguarding wildlife habitat amid growing development

Ioannides and his family worked with Summit Land Conservancy to place a conservation easement on the property, donating the development rights so the land could never be built on beyond a reserved 19.8-acre limited building area.

“We didn’t make them buy any of it. We donated the development rights to them, and since then it’s been a great partnership,” Ioannides said.

The decision involved the whole family. All of them had hiked the property and watched the elk rut, and supported the idea of conservation over profiting off the sale of the property.

More than six miles of trails now wind through the preserve, open to hiking, mountain biking, trail running, horseback riding and snowshoeing, with no motorized vehicles allowed. Ioannides said the family maintains the trails and works with the community on weed mitigation and other stewardship tasks.

Wildlife is abundant. Between 60 and 80 elk gather on the property during the rut, which runs from late August through September, drawn by a pond and the shelter of the trees, Ioannides said. Moose and bobcat are regular sightings as well.

A historic guest cabin, carefully preserved

The property’s original log cabin was built as a seasonal hunting retreat, heated only by a wood stove and shuttered up each winter. Ioannides said the structure had settled unevenly over the decades as water moved through the low-lying draw where it was built.

“It was pretty rustic,” Ioannides said of the cabin’s condition when he bought the property. His team jacked up the cabin and regraded the surrounding land so water would move around it rather than through it. The renovation added two bathrooms, a remodeled kitchen and central heating and air conditioning, while preserving the cabin’s original character.

A greenhouse added by the Sorensons around 2000 still stands on the property as well. “It extends the growing season a couple months,” he said.

Established equestrian infrastructure

The property’s six-stall barn was built for Elaine Sorensen, an avid horsewoman who trained and competed on site. Ioannides described a building finished with the same stone and wood siding as the main house, along with automatic waterers, hot and cold water for washing horses, a tack-up area and an apartment.

A full-size competition arena sits just below the barn, along with three fenced pastures, two of which offer grass grazing. Ioannides said his family added a third pasture and new fencing after buying the property so horses could stay outdoors, which he said most horses prefer to standing in a stall.

The stables currently stand empty, though Ioannides said guests have trailered in their own horses for extended stays, keeping them in the pastures or barn while riding the property’s trail network. “Some of the people who visit us will come for a month. They’ll bring the horses, they’ll stay in the cabin, and they’ll ride all the trails around here,” he said.

The main house: comfort at the center

The main house has served as the Ioannides family’s full-time home. Its outdoor living areas open onto the surrounding mountain views, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor space, whether the setting calls for hosting guests or a quiet evening at home.

The property proved especially meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Ioannides’ four adult children moved back in with their families. “During COVID, it was amazing,” he said. With seven bedrooms, there was space for everyone, and the family hiked, cooked and ate meals together daily throughout the shutdown.

Seclusion with easy access

Despite its remarkable privacy, Rocky Point Preserve sits less than two miles from Interstate 80. The property is about 24 minutes from historic Main Street in Park City, 20 minutes from Deer Valley and Canyons Village, and 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport.

Unlike much of the surrounding Tollgate area, the property has full-time power, gas, water and internet service, along with a backup generator that runs periodically.

“We’re not even 15 minutes from Kimball Junction,” he said. “But when you’re in the house, you virtually have no neighbors. It’s like living in the middle of a small state park.”

The next chapter of Rocky Point Preserve awaits

After a decade of ownership, Ioannides and his family have decided it is time to pass the property on. “I hope whoever comes here picks up the mantle the Sorensons laid down,” he said, adding that he hopes the next owner continues working with Summit Land Conservancy to keep the preserve “a haven for the wildlife first,” with public access to trails as a secondary use.

More than 260 protected acres. A working equestrian center. A historic guest cabin. A main house built for family, views, and connection. Rocky Point Preserve is more than a listing; it’s a legacy, and it’s available for the first time in 10 years. View the full real estate listing through Summit Sotheby’s International Realty.