Ted Turner's Ladder Ranch in New Mexico a vast, diverse landscape

‘I'm going to show you something really cool - I bet you've never seen anything like this,” says our guide, Ken Stinnett, as we rumble across a mountain ridgeline in an open-air vehicle.

We round a bend and the vast expanse of Ted Turner's Ladder Ranch comes into view: lush valleys with crystal-clear creeks running through them, wind-sculpted sandstone cliffs, and, in the distance, the Black Range of the Gila Mountains.

The vast property, located in southwestern New Mexico, is about 180 miles south of Albuquerque and a half-hour drive from Truth or Consequences.

It is home to elk, mule deer, bears and about 1,000 bison, part of Turner's plan to restore this former cattle ranch. The prospect of seeing bison in a wild, untamed landscape is what drew me to Ladder Ranch.

On our first day there, we drive on hard-packed dirt roads through foot-deep creeks in a Polaris Ranger Crew, which is like a supercharged four-wheel-drive golf cart. Stinnett says Turner, who founded CNN, took down more than 250 miles of fences on the property to allow elk, deer and other wildlife to move freely.

“I'm so happy Ted owns this,” says Stinnett, who's also a wildlife photographer. “He is such a good steward and walks his talk.”

Stinnett, whose 60-something age hasn't tempered his enthusiasm for wild places, says he can't guarantee bison sightings because the herds move freely over the 156,000-acre ranch.

That afternoon, as we chug down a slope past prickly pear cacti into the next valley, we see great brown animals in the distance, a classic Old West tableau.

We drive nearer to the bison and watch awestruck, so close we can hear their snuffling breaths.

We're not going anywhere fast. We start to drive away but stop when a few bison move in front us and into the road. They seem to know who's in charge here and gaze impassively at us. We wait for them to clear before continuing on.

That's when it hits me: touring Turner's Ladder Ranch is like our own national park. At 244 square miles, it's more than twice the size of Arches National Park and four times the size of Bryce Canyon. And just as pristine.

“The Ladder is, per acre, the finest example of wildlife diversity left in the state,” says wildlife biologist and Ladder Ranch manager Steve Dobrott in “Last Stand,” a 2013 book by Todd Wilkinson about Turner's eco-initiatives.

That afternoon we hike in Palomas Creek, cooling our feet in the tricking water, and see native pictographs painted onto the rock walls centuries ago. After the daylong excursion we return to our lodgings, Turner's own home on the range, which recently opened to paying guests.

Turner's house, where he often stayed with Jane Fonda when they were together during the 1990s, is far from ostentatious but eminently comfortable. Bunches of red chilis, called ristas, hang outside the front porch, and two feeders filled with nectar lure scarlet-throated hummingbirds.

Inside, I walk barefoot over bearskin rugs and peer into a glass case filled with 800-year-old bowls discovered on the property, made by members of the Mimbres tribe. Best of all, the house comes with a talented cook.

Renowned New Mexico chef Tatsu Miyazaki cooks bison steak with a black truffle red-wine reduction sauce one night and duck in a dried-cherry and port wine sauce the next.

“The menu is customized for every guest,” says Japan-born Miyazaki. “Seasonal items and local food are very important. The Japanese culture is about caring for others, respect, putting guests first.”

After dinner, I sit out on the porch in Captain Ted's chair, glass of Pinot in hand, watching a full moon rise and casting its reflection in Animas Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande.

“You can be a tree hugger and still have your name in Forbes,” Turner has said.

His mission is to manage the land in an ecological way while keeping the operation economically sustainable, says Blair Wyman, a ranch host.

That's why some bison from his ranches are slaughtered and sold for meat, ultimately appearing on plates at the Turner-owned restaurant chain, Ted's Montana Grill, and elsewhere. Turner doesn't like to lose money in any of his businesses, and the ranches are no exception, Wyman says.

The next day we drive off Ladder and through Truth or Consequences, the city (formerly known as Hot Springs) that named itself after a radio and TV quiz show.

In the middle of town is Turner's Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa, where guests can soak in private outdoor tubs filled from the local hot springs. Chef Tatsu is executive chef here and cooks a monthly wine-pairing dinner that's worth planning a visit around.

On our final morning, Jares Gallagher, operations manager for Adventure Partners Ecotours, which runs the outings on Ladder Ranch, takes us to Ash Canyon.

We saunter up the ochre-walled slot canyon, the soothing sounds of the creek behind us.

“For me the sound of running water is just priceless,” Gallagher says, her hand on her heart.

Later that day I'll leave the ranch so I take a few minutes of solo time by the creek. I sit on a rock under cottonwood and walnut trees and discover grinding holes in the rocks, used by native peoples.

I'm far from the first person to savor this spot, and that feeling of connection makes me even more grateful this land has been preserved as far as the eye can see.

Michael Shapiro writes for national travel magazines and is author of “A Sense of Place,” a collection of interviews with the world's leading travel writers. Contact: www.michaelshapiro.net.