Cherokee Trail Ranch Airport

The exact reason for the closure is not publicly documented, which is common for small, private airfields. The closure was most likely due to economic or personal reasons tied to the property's ownership. Potential factors include the sale of the Cherokee Trail Ranch, the owner no longer being an active pilot, or the costs of maintenance, taxes, and insurance becoming prohibitive. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a specific accident, environmental concerns, or military conversion.

The site remains a private property, appearing to be a large ranch or rural residential estate. Satellite imagery shows the faint but clear outline of the former north-south runway is still visible as a dirt and grass strip, though it is unmaintained and not usable for aviation. A large building, presumed to be the original hangar, still stands to the west of the former runway. The land is currently used for private residential and likely agricultural or equestrian purposes, consistent with a ranching property.

Cherokee Trail Ranch Airport was a private-use airfield with local, not national, significance. Its primary function was to provide direct air access for the owners and guests of the Cherokee Trail Ranch. It was not a public airport and handled no commercial or scheduled flight operations. Airport directories from the 1990s list it as having a single turf runway, designated 17/35, with dimensions of 4,000 feet by 100 feet. Operations would have been limited to light general aviation aircraft (like Cessnas, Pipers, or similar) capable of operating from a high-altitude (field elevation of approximately 6,800 feet) and unpaved surface.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Cherokee Trail Ranch Airport. Given that it was a private facility and has been officially closed for well over a decade, the likelihood of it being reactivated for aviation is extremely low. The land is more valuable for its current use as a private ranch or for potential future residential development in the growing Peyton area.