Black Brook, NY 12912(Clinton County)

The property is located in the southern portion of Black Brook, Clinton County, NY. This sparsely populated town, and the property itself, sits at the edge of the Wilmington Range of the Adirondacks, between the Saranac River to the north and the Ausable River Valley to the south. The surrounding rural area is distinguished by its picturesque, mountainous setting, highlighted by the nearby High Peaks Region. The property abuts the 14,000-acre Wilmington Wild Forest, a large expanse of public land that extends south beyond White Face Mountain, New Yorks fifth highest peak. Along with abundant recreational opportunities on nearby state forest preserve lands, residents and visitors can enjoy recreating on nearby Taylor Pond, an 813-acre lake, also surrounded by State Preserve Land and only 2 miles west of the property. Motorized boating is permitted and the lake offers excellent fishing for lake trout, brown trout and Atlantic salmon.

Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort, one of New Yorks largest ski centers, is located 12 miles to the south along Route 86, while the eclectic Village of Wilmington is situated 7 miles away, on route to Whiteface. Wilmington (population 880) is a charming resort village with the nearby High Peaks providing a compelling scenic backdrop. Lake Placid (site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics) is roughly 19 miles from the property. Montreal, Canada is located 2 hours north, and New York City about 5.5 hours to the south.

Access

The property benefits from nearly 1,200 of frontage along Nelson Road, a four-season town-maintained road linking the surrounding area to the nearby Silver Lake Road corridor. The terrain along this frontage consists of moderate to gently-sloped topography with well-drained soils. Electric utilities and phone service are available roadside, further enhancing residential development potential in the northern portion of the property.

The central portion of the property is accessed via a well-built private road that begins off East Kiln Road. This private road provides deeded right-of-way across the adjacent landowner to a locked gate along the eastern boundary line. From this point, the road extends for almost 3,000 into the heart of the property, climbing gradually into a broad valley where mountain views open up to the north and south. This central access road is suitable for most high clearance SUV vehicles. Internal access is complemented by numerous woods trails which extend from the road to remote portions of the tract and offer hiking opportunities into the Wilmington Wild Forest to the west and to the lands exposed rock out-crops.

Site Description

Coupled with its ideal location and good access, the property offers strong residential potential in the parcels vast central valley. This unique area is flanked by two high ridges (both terminating on the property with exposed rock outcropping, ideal hiking destinations) whose valley extends west well into the adjacent State Forest. A mountain stream, originating well within the preserve, marks the centerline of the valley, providing a clean, year-round water resource on the land.

The northern slopes of the central valley offer elevated southern exposures for appealing home sites with exceptional views. This area is within short walking distance of the State Preserve, where a mature forest contains two and three-foot diameter trees. Together, these attributes create a rare estate opportunity a large, private tract, with good soils, excellent access, and close proximity to exceptional State Preserve Lands.

Approaching the property along the Nelson Road frontage, topography is moderate and well-drained, allowing attractive housing or subdivision potential. This area is set just below the northern ridge where compelling rock outcroppings provide a classic Adirondack setting.

The land occupies the northernmost tip of the Wilmington Range, a long ridgeline of scenic peaks extending south to Lake Placid. This upland terrain contains well-drained soils which are deepest in the valleys with shallower, glaciated soils on steep ridge slopes.

The southern section of the property falls precipitously off the southern ridge as rock ledges and ravines gradually blend into more moderate terrain and a secondary watershed. This watershed has been accessed for forest management purposes in the past via a road from Serenity Lane by permission from the adjacent landowner.

Elevation property-wide ranges from 1,170 ASL along the eastern boundary near the access road to 2,300 along the ridge in the southwestern corner of the land.

Timber

The terrain occupies several mid-slope ridge and valley sites that are ideal for growing northern hardwood stands. Much of the forest has seen harvesting from 2020 to the winter of 2023. Prior to this, forest management was conducted associated with the great ice event of 1998. That harvest activity has created a 25-year-old age class that is now fully established an easy to walk through.

Given the significant adjacent Wild Forest landscape, large mammals such as black bears, coyote, fisher cats, moose and white-tailed deer are common.

The property has two small streams which originate on the property and a larger stream that bisects the land, originating on the adjacent Forever Wild Forest.