West of Loveland, where the foothills begin and Devil's Backbone Open Space is practically in the backyard, the real estate shifts from subdivisions to acreage — and along the Big Thompson River corridor specifically, to a small, sought-after category of homes with actual river frontage. Here's an honest look at both.
This isn't a subdivision in the usual sense — it's a broad area west of Loveland toward Masonville where properties range from small horse setups to larger ranch parcels, generally with no HOA and real distance between neighbors. Mountain views, quiet, and Devil's Backbone Open Space and Rocky Mountain National Park nearby are the draw; the trade-off is county roads instead of city streets and a real due-diligence process around well quality, irrigation and water rights, septic condition, and outbuildings — all of which matter here in ways they don't in a platted subdivision.
Within that broader West Loveland acreage market, homes with actual Big Thompson River frontage are their own thing — a small, specific subset of listings, not a subdivision with a name and a sign. The Mariana Butte area in west Loveland is the one place in the immediate Loveland market with confirmed river frontage (the Mariana Butte Golf Course's back nine runs along the river), but river-adjacent acreage also shows up further west toward Masonville along the Buckhorn corridor. Ownership means genuinely different considerations than a standard lot: floodplain status, riparian/water rights, bank stabilization, and flood insurance are all things to understand before falling in love with the view.
Worth being precise about, since the two get conflated: Boyd Lake North and The Waterfront at Boyd Lake (see the subdivision guides below) are lake-adjacent properties on Boyd Lake, not river-frontage. Both are real and both are genuinely waterfront in the sense that matters for lifestyle and value — but if what you specifically want is river frontage and moving water, that's a narrower, different search than "anything on the water."
Acreage and riverfront properties don't behave like standard subdivision comps — price per square foot means very little once well quality, water rights, and access are in play, and the pool of comparable recent sales is thin by nature. This is exactly the market Christine specializes in, and it's worth a direct conversation before you start touring rather than after.
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Source: IRES MLS — Listings courtesy of IRES MLS as distributed by MLS Grid. Based on information submitted to MLS Grid as of page load. All data is obtained from various sources and may not have been verified by broker or MLS Grid. Supplied open house information is subject to change without notice. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information. Some IDX listings have been excluded from this website. Offer of compensation is made only to participants of the MLS where the listing is filed.
Yes, though it's a small and specific category — the Mariana Butte area in west Loveland has confirmed Big Thompson River frontage, and river-adjacent acreage also comes up further west along the Buckhorn Road corridor toward Masonville. It isn't a named subdivision; it's identified listing by listing, which is exactly what the live search below is filtered for.
No — Boyd Lake North and The Waterfront at Boyd Lake are lake-adjacent communities on Boyd Lake, not river frontage. Both are genuinely waterfront, just a different kind of water than the Big Thompson River.
Most properties west of Loveland toward Masonville are outside municipal water and sewer service, so yes — well and septic (and, for irrigated acreage, water rights) are standard here and worth having independently inspected before you close.
Scan with a phone camera to open this exact page — handy for yard signs, flyers, and business cards.
https://signaturepropertycollection.com/communities/loveland/west-loveland-riverfront-homes.html
