The High Peaks Wilderness is seen from above a 137-acre parcel in St. Huberts purchased by the Adirondack Land Trust in May. (Provided photo — Becca Halter, Adirondack Land Trust)

KEENE — On May 11 the Adirondack Land Trust purchased 137 acres in St. Huberts to maintain public recreational access and conserve natural forests, including 1,844 feet of floodplain on the East Branch of the AuSable River.

The land trust will hold this parcel for transfer to New York state for addition to the constitutionally protected Forest Preserve, along with 25 adjoining acres.

Combined, the parcels border 5,227 feet of state land and include approximately a mile of public trails that lead to Snow, Rooster Comb, the Wolfjaws and other mountains within the High Peaks Wilderness. The steep terrain includes sheer cliffs, glacial outcroppings, large hemlock trees and numerous unnamed streams.

Trail access from state Route 73 in St. Huberts goes through private land, following Deer Brook, and reaches the land trust’s parcel about a mile from the road.

“Given the location, topography and existing public trails on these lands, they are a perfect fit for state ownership,” said Bill Paternotte, Adirondack Land Trust board chair. “We look forward to working with our state partners to make that happen.”

The 137-acre parcel had been owned by the same family since 1894, when John Holmes Maghee of Morristown, New Jersey, and Keene Valley purchased it from George and Didamina Beede. The land trust purchased it for $300,000 from a fourth-generation family descendant.

Since 1984, the Adirondack Land Trust has protected 27,606 acres at 102 sites in 43 towns and 10 counties across the Adirondacks.