Meg Whitman is looking to part ways with Spring Creek Ranch, a 1,500-acre trophy spread in the Fall River Valley north of Redding, quietly listing the property for $18.5 million. The pitch leans hard on its private trout fishery, more than a mile of Fall River frontage, and spring-fed creeks that the listing says grow trophy rainbow trout. It is a glimpse into the kind of remote, recreation-heavy ranch that attracts buyers willing to pay a premium for reliable water and serious angling.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the ranch is being marketed by Hall & Hall and billed as prime hunting ground along the Pacific Flyway, with waterfowl and upland-bird opportunities on top of the fishing. The Bee reports that listing agent Bill McDavid says high-quality, private trout water is probably the single biggest factor driving values for recreation-focused ranches.
What the ranch includes
Per the marketing materials, Spring Creek Ranch controls two spring-fed tributaries, Spring Creek and Lava Creek, along with roughly 650 acres of irrigated farmland and pasture used for hay production and grazing. The property also comes with a comfortable three-bedroom main residence, a custom Airstream fishing camp, barns, shop buildings, and what are advertised as reliable water rights, according to Hall & Hall.
Who owns it
The ranch belongs to Meg Whitman, the billionaire tech executive who led eBay and Hewlett-Packard, ran for California governor in 2010, and served as U.S. ambassador to Kenya from 2022 to 2024. Whitman and her husband, neurosurgeon Griffith Rutherford Harsh IV, reportedly base themselves primarily in Telluride and only visit the Fall River property occasionally.
Why the fishery matters
McDavid told The Sacramento Bee that the water on the property is "as clear as a bottle of gin" and that its steady temperatures create ideal conditions for growing large trout. The listing touts trophy rainbow trout averaging three to six pounds and highlights the reliability of the ranch’s water rights, a combination that brokers say can meaningfully boost a property’s market value.
At $18.5 million, Spring Creek Ranch sits in a small but active niche of the market devoted to trophy recreational properties that pair working-farm acreage with rare private fisheries. For northern California buyers, ranches that marry private water access with migratory-bird habitat remain especially attractive, even as those same assets complicate stewardship and day-to-day management.
The listing materials and photos repeatedly showcase access to the Fall River and the stream corridors that underpin the property’s angling reputation, and Hall & Hall is clearly making that water the headline feature for would-be buyers. For anyone shopping for both hunting grounds and high-quality trout fishing, Spring Creek Ranch is being presented as a turnkey package for recreation and ranching.
