Straight up the Taconic Parkway, just 2 and a half hours from Midtown, your driveway is barely noticeable — but you know what lies beyond – safety, serenity, and seclusion. Unlock the gate, drive through the woods, and prepare to experience a different kind of rush hour – tracking big buck or flushing wild pheasants or raucous turkeys. Better still, just rest and relax on your ultra-private 223+ acre retreat on the hillsides of the Hudson River. Your driveway reveals nothing to the rest of the world about the luxury accommodations awaiting in the custom-built, true-log home. Outdoor enthusiasts or those just looking for a unique family or group retreat in the Hudson River highlands will find it here.
Arriving at the main compound, you will feel that sense of safety and security that only your own private retreat can deliver. The grounds of the home are well-maintained with landscaping around 2 ponds, and ample parking, plus a 500 square foot double-door equipment barn. The house has doors on 2 sides accessible from the ¾ wrap-around 350 square foot deck. Enter the home and take in the cathedral-like lodge with an open living-dining-kitchen space anchored by a massive 25 foot floor-to-ceiling fieldstone wood burning fireplace. True log walls and rich pinewood floors throughout the home add strength and character in every room. The kitchen, where everyone gathers, is open to this lovely space, with a great seating peninsula, ideal for travelers and wilderness voyagers to sit while the feast is prepared. Two bedrooms are on this main floor, just off the kitchen and a shared full bathroom is conveniently located here, as well. Upstairs, there is a comfortable master suite with a private bedroom ( massive closets ), another full bathroom, and great home office loft space overlooking the fireplace below. The full basement is nicely finished with a bonus room ideal for a pull-out couch / guest room, a laundry and work area, and a half bath. Don ( or shed) camo, boots, and parkas while still in the comfort of the lower level. There is ample storage, with drive-out doors — sure makes keeping those electric 4-wheel-drive vehicles clean and charged up! The water and electrical services, circulating hot air furnace for colder nights, as well as central AC for those summer days, all are safely protected here.
Native sugar and red maple, black cherry, paper birch, ash, beech, and numerous conifers provide ample cover for wildlife, and tremendous visual interest year-round (but make autumn particularly spectacular). Trees are both young and old, from seedling, sapling, and pole-size to large timber. The property is tax-advantaged with agricultural AND NYS Section 480-a Forest Tax protections. Achieve your investment goals in a lower tax property. (An overview of the 480-a is attached to this listing. A copy of the 480-a Forest Management Plan and Treatment Schedule is available upon request.)
The property has approximately 1240 feet of road frontage on Ridge Road on the eastern border, as well as 1200 feet along Route 9J, the beautiful road paralleling the Hudson River. Access from this western boundary is protected thanks to the Conrail right-of-way that also runs next to the river ( along Route 9J). The property has benefits for those tracking wildlife. A power line passes North / South through the property. This line is completely out of sight from the house and ponds, and creates numerous benefits to the wildlife-minded enthusiast. North/South running lines get much more direct sunlight in spring and fall than East-West cuts which increases the vegetation growth so attractive to species of all size and type. The main driveway covers more than a mile as it curves through the property. Miles more off-road trails provide further access to the parcels, including the 5 high-mounted blinds. Actively managed farm fields, also within the property boundaries, mean ready-made access is waiting for your next ATV adventure.
Close to the historic villages of Stuyvesant (10 minutes to the Hudson River Boat launch), Hudson, Chatham, Kinderhook and Catskill. Hop the Business Class on the Empire Service, and you can be in NYC anytime you like. Or head to Albany, less than 30 minutes north. Retreat can be yours. Enjoy this masterpiece along the hills of the Hudson!
