Last Chance Ranch

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At the northern tip of the Adirondack High Peaks region, Mount Marcy, Algonquin, Colden, and Whiteface scale the sky while below them the Ausable River, Marcy Brook, and Indian Pass Brook meander through the Ausable Valley. An untold number of visitors have enjoyed the sight of that grand landscape over the years, including hikers and backpackers en route to nearby Heart Lake, a jumping off point for the area’s major trailheads.

Happily, that view of those high peaks will be preserved, thanks to a conservation easement the Open Space Institute crafted with the owners of Last Chance Ranch in 1993. The easement not only protects the view but also the headwaters of the West Branch of the Ausable River, which fall within the easement. While the ranch land itself continues to be privately owned and not publicly accessible, the easement ensures that the views will be publicly available into the future.

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