Clinton Highlands Forest

Property Description

Clinton Highlands Forest is built for the private buyer seeking a large recreational property with lasting conservation value. Bordered by New York State Wild Forest to the west and Dunkin’s Reserve State Forest to the east, the property delivers a sense of scale and seclusion that is increasingly hard to find. Its position between two protected holdings gives a new owner the rare opportunity to steward a meaningful piece of a much larger forested landscape.

This is a true headwaters property. Brandy Brook and Bullis Brook both begin on the land and flow north toward the Great Chazy River, while Stillwater Brook drains the southern edge. Brandy Brook winds through the center of the tract, passing through a series of wetlands and beaver ponds that add wildlife habitat and variety to the landscape, and Bullis Brook drains the western side. Because these streams begin on the property, the water quality of the land’s brooks and wetlands rests in the hands of its owner. For a conservation-minded buyer, that is both a meaningful responsibility and a rare opportunity, and it is one the current owners have taken seriously in their management of the forest.

The recreational opportunity extends well beyond the boundary. Just north of the property, Brandy Brook continues into the 1,356-acre Lewis Preserve Wildlife Management Area, managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. While the WMA does not adjoin the property, it lies a short distance north, with three public parking areas along Jerusalem Road. It is open year-round for hunting and trapping, and for brook and brown trout fishing along Brandy Brook, King Brook, and the Great Chazy River. Together with the state forest lands on either side, the WMA places Clinton Highlands Forest at the center of an unusually rich concentration of public recreational land.

The internal road is a standout feature for a property of this size. A gated, privately maintained forest road runs roughly three miles from the Jerusalem Road entrance south through the center of the tract, with a spur road to the west. It is in good condition and usable year-round. Established log landings sit along the road, including one at the end of the main road and another at the end of the western spur, and a network of existing skid trails reaches most of the property. Several established gravel pits along the road support continued road maintenance. Future forest management can rely on this infrastructure without new road construction, and for the recreational owner, it means easy access to the brooks, the beaver ponds, and the far corners of the property.

The terrain is mostly flat with gentle slopes, ranging from roughly 1,600 to 1,780 feet in elevation. Soils are glacial in origin and productive, with most of the forest rated site class II. The property is almost entirely forested, with open wetland areas along the brook corridors. For the hunter and wildlife enthusiast, the young, regenerating forest is a major draw, providing abundant browse, berries, and cover for white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, ruffed grouse, and other wildlife, and the adjoining state lands extend that habitat well beyond the property lines. A small 12×20 cabin near the Jerusalem Road entrance, where power is available, provides a convenient base for hunting and recreational use.