In the 1980s, then-Apple chairman and CEO Mike Markkula purchased more than 9,000 acres in Carmel Valley for roughly $8 million. He built several structures, including a conference center, an airstrip, and a 5,821-square-foot home with six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and several guesthouses, all surrounded by oak savanna.
When the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy purchased Rana Creek Ranch for $35 million in 2023, the sprawling woodland habitat had grown to more than 14,000 acres. The organization had ambitious plans for the land, but never intended to keep the house.
Now, that home plus 160 surrounding acres are on the market for $8.25 million.
“We purchased it strictly using private funds because we envisioned that we would want to find a new owner for the estate house and its grounds,” says Frazier Haney, CEO of the Wildlands Conservancy. Haney says the ideal buyer would have a shared conservation vision for the land, and “really get hands-on in the preserve.”
The estate is separate from the Wildlands Conservancy’s planned public-access areas, which include more than 12,000 acres slated for conservation. The nonprofit is studying future trails, water management, safety and visitor infrastructure, eventually planning to offer free hiking and camping with access planned from both the Carmel Valley and Salinas Valley sides.
Grazing continues as an ecological and wildfire-management tool. The Esselen Tribe has acquired 2,000 acres.
“Our focus is on restoring oaks and creeks and bringing back wildlife,” Haney says, “rather than trying to maintain what is a very beautiful house.”