149 Beaverkill RoadKingston, NY 12401Price: $150,000

The approach is part of the appeal. Beaverkill Road winds toward the Olivebridge line and crosses the Ashokan Spillway Gorge, and just beyond the bridge, the landscape settles into something quieter. Here, 4.7 gently sloping acres of mature woodland are held in place by old stone walls. It is the most accessible of just six lots in a small, private subdivision, with frontage on Beaverkill Road, electric close at hand, and a second edge along Narrow Road, a private dead end built to last with deep layers of engineered stone, drainage culverts, and buried utilities. A newly built contemporary home next door sets the tone, and recorded covenants and restrictions protect the character of the enclave. The Ashokan Reservoir and wild Catskill surroundings are close, with Route 28 to Woodstock and Route 209 to Stone Ridge an easy drive. The shops and restaurants of Kingston, Woodstock, and Stone Ridge, as well as the Hudson River and the NYS Thruway are all about 20 minutes away. A full-time residence, a weekend retreat, or a legacy property, this is a fine place to begin your upstate dream project. The magic is in the drive itself, which carries you off the beaten path into a beautiful corner of the Catskills while keeping thriving towns and every convenience close at hand. To understand this place, you have to make the drive in.