About Nelson's Spring Creek Ranch

The headquarters of Nelson’s Spring Creek Ranch sits on the site originally homesteaded in the 1860s.  The ranch has been in the Nelson family for four generations and now encompasses 750 acres.  It always has been, and remains today, a working cattle ranch, complete with 500 mother cows, working horses, beautiful hayfields, tractors, and a cowhand or two.

The creek was originally used for stock water, with an occasional fishermen stopping by to cast a fly into its hidden waters. It was famed angler Joe Brooks, a close family friend, who first saw the creek’s potential as a fishery and called it to the attention of Edwin Nelson, Roger’s father.  As fly-fishing gained in popularity, and fishermen flocked to the stream, it soon became necessary to limit the number of rods on the creek each day. Thus, rod fees began to be charged in order to regulate the flow of anglers and as a means of generating the capital necessary for proper stewardship of the creek.  Over the years, the Nelson family has undertaken and completed projects in bank stabilization, creek bed restoration, and waterfowl habitat development.  The creek’s original use as a watering hole for livestock has gone by the wayside.  Stock tanks are used to water cattle.  Fencing now protects the creek’s banks and surrounding vegetation.

Today, the ranch continues to operate as a family ranch.  The Nelsons’ are a sixth generation Paradise Valley family and invite you to come and share in an authentic western experience.