Essex County, Adirondack High Peaks
Keene, NY
High Peaks Homes for Sale
The trailhead town of the Adirondacks: three hamlets beneath 15 of the 46 High Peaks, about 20 minutes from Lake Placid without the resort crowds.
Living in Keene, NY: Three Hamlets Beneath the High Peaks
Keene is the trailhead town of the Adirondacks: three hamlets, Keene, Keene Valley, and St. Huberts, strung along the East Branch of the Ausable River at the foot of the state's biggest mountains. Founded March 19, 1808 from portions of Jay and Elizabethtown, the town covers 156.62 square miles, every acre inside the Adirondack Park, and 15 of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks rise within its boundaries, including Mount Marcy, New York's highest summit at 5,343 feet. Fodor's named Keene Valley one of its top six places to visit in the USA for 2026, and anyone who has watched morning light hit the Great Range from Route 73 understands why.
Keene NY real estate is a micro-market by design. As of mid-2026, roughly 33 homes sell per year across the town's two zip codes, so monthly medians swing hard and prices are best read as ranges. Typical Keene homes trade from the low $400Ks to the mid $600Ks: classic village homes, year-round houses with mountain views, and renovated farmhouses. Smaller camps, cabins, and building lots come in under $350K, while premium view parcels and larger renovated homes near the St. Huberts corridor run $800K and up. The ACS median owner-occupied home value of $471,400 is more than double the Essex County median of $211,900, a gap that reflects how much buyers prize this valley.
About 49.5 percent of the town's 1,026 housing units are held for seasonal or occasional use, and only 377 are occupied year-round, so much of the market moves through relationships rather than portals. The buyer profile is a hiker, climber, skier, or second-home purchaser who wants Lake Placid's mountains without Lake Placid's crowds, prices, or short-term rental permit caps. Inventory is thin: recent counts showed 11 active listings in the hamlet of Keene and 6 in Keene Valley, with about 15 homes for sale townwide on Zillow at a mid-2026 check. In a market this tight, working with a broker who hears about properties before they list is not a luxury; it is the whole game.
Keene NY Real Estate Market Snapshot
Sources: RealtyTrac zip-level market trends, June 2025 through May 2026; Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year; Zillow inventory cross-check, mid-2026. Keene is a micro-market of roughly 33 sales per year, so read monthly medians as ranges, not precision.
Homes for Sale in Keene, NY
Browse every current listing in the town of Keene: village homes, mountain-view houses, Adirondack camps and cabins, and land for sale in Keene NY, updated from the MLS.
Why Buyers Choose Keene NY Real Estate
Fifteen High Peaks Inside the Town Line
Fifteen of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks stand within the town of Keene, including Mount Marcy at 5,343 feet and much of the ten-mile Great Range. The Garden trailhead in Keene Valley is the eastern gateway to the Johns Brook valley, Johns Brook Lodge, and Marcy itself. At Marcy Field, the town's recreation field and trailhead hub, Front Country Stewards help hikers pick routes, and a hiker shuttle runs in peak season.
The Adirondack Mountain Reserve at St. Huberts
The Adirondack Mountain Reserve and Ausable Club sit at the base of Giant Mountain in St. Huberts, where the Lake Road leads to Rainbow Falls, Indian Head, the Ausable Lakes, and the Gill Brook trails. Public foot access runs through the AMR reservation system. Roaring Brook Falls and the Giant Mountain trailheads are right on Route 73, minutes from homes in every hamlet.
Chapel Pond, the Beer Walls, and Wild Trout Water
Chapel Pond on Route 73 is a swimming, paddling, and ice-climbing landmark, with the famous Beer Walls rock-climbing area a short walk away in Chapel Pond Canyon. The East Branch of the Ausable River, renowned fly-fishing water, runs the length of the valley, rising from the Ausable Lakes above St. Huberts. Few towns anywhere pack this much water and rock into one road corridor.
Real Village Life in Every Hamlet
Keene Valley has the Noon Mark Diner, a local institution since 1981 famous for its mile-high apple pie, and The Mountaineer, the iconic gear shop that has outfitted climbers and hikers since 1975. In the hamlet of Keene, Cedar Run Bakery and Market anchors daily life with baked goods, prepared meals, and groceries. These are working village centers, not tourist strips.
Route 73: The High Peaks Corridor
State Route 73 runs through all three hamlets and is the main artery between Adirondack Northway (I-87) Exit 30 and Lake Placid, which sits about 14 miles and 18 to 25 minutes away. Route 9N connects Keene to Jay. Using Lake Placid benchmarks, Plattsburgh is about an hour, Burlington and Montreal about two hours, and Albany about 2 to 2.5 hours; Keene sits on the Northway side, so highway-direction trips run somewhat shorter. Cape Air flies nonstop to the Adirondack Regional Airport at Saranac Lake from Boston Logan and JFK.
Four Seasons and Real Rental Flexibility
Winter brings backcountry and Nordic skiing straight from town trailheads, ice climbing at Chapel Pond, and Whiteface Mountain reachable via Jay or Lake Placid. For rental-minded buyers, Keene currently offers materially more short-term rental flexibility than Lake Placid, which caps hosted permits at 48 town-wide; Keene paused its own draft STR law and has no permit cap confirmed in force. Rules are evolving, so verify current town status before counting on rental income.
Keene Valley Real Estate and the Hamlets of Keene, NY
Each hamlet has its own character, price band, and trailheads. Knowing the differences matters in a market with roughly 33 sales per year.
Keene Valley
The marquee hamlet and the self-proclaimed Home of the High Peaks. Keene Valley (zip 12943) holds The Garden trailhead to Johns Brook Lodge and Mount Marcy, the Noon Mark Diner, and The Mountaineer, and Fodor's put it among the top six places to visit in the USA for 2026. The housing stock runs to classic village homes, farmhouses, and view properties. As of mid-2026 the zip's median sold price was $418,200 with only 6 active listings priced from about $210,000 to $799,000, and 13 homes sold over the trailing 12 months. When something good lists here, it does not wait around.
Search Keene Valley area listings →
Keene (Hamlet)
The town's civic center at the Route 73 and 9N junction: town offices, Cedar Run Bakery and Market, and the Marcy Field recreation hub, with the Cascade approach just up the road. This is currently the pricier zip (12942), with a median listing price of $637,000, a median sold price of $526,700, 11 active listings, and 20 sales over the trailing 12 months. Expect year-round homes, small farms, and view acreage out East Hill and Hurricane Road, with recent sales ranging from about $273,000 to $662,000.
St. Huberts
A tiny prestige enclave at the gates of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve and Ausable Club, beneath Giant Mountain, with Lake Road access to Rainbow Falls, Indian Head, and the Ausable Lakes. Turnover here is ultra-low and almost nothing sits on the open market; this is an insider market where broker relationships surface off-market opportunities. If St. Huberts is the goal, the right move is a standing conversation with a local broker, not a saved search.
Ask about St. Huberts opportunities →
Cascade and the Route 73 Corridor
The mountain pass between Keene and Lake Placid holds the Cascade Lakes and the Cascade Mountain trailhead, the most-climbed High Peak in the Adirondacks. Homes are scattered and the terrain is dramatic; this is the closest part of town to Lake Placid jobs, dining, and Olympic-town energy. The Adirondack Mountain Reserve and Glenmore round out the town's named localities, useful landmarks for reading listings and trail maps even though neither is an active listing category.
Why Work With Tina Leonard Real Estate
Tina Leonard Real Estate was founded in June 2016 by the late Tina Leonard, a Lake Placid native, a REALTOR since 1991, and a past president of the Northern Adirondack Board of Realtors. After her passing in 2021, the brokerage she built stayed rooted in the community where it started. Today it is led by Broker Chase Jermano from the office at 2577 Main St in downtown Lake Placid, and it has been voted Best Real Estate Office of the Adirondacks in 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
That local footing matters more in Keene than almost anywhere else. With roughly 33 sales per year and about half the housing stock held as seasonal or second homes, this is a market where listings surface through conversations: at the diner counter, at the trailhead, at the town offices. Chase and the team track what the portals miss, from evolving short-term rental rules to which view parcels might come available, across the full range of High Peaks real estate, from camps and land to premium view properties.
Thinking about selling a Keene property? Start with a free home value estimate. Buying? Reach out, or read more about the brokerage.
Credentials and Recognition
- ✔ Voted Best Real Estate Office of the Adirondacks 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025
- ✔ Best Real Estate Agent of the Adirondacks 2024 and 2025
- ✔ Founded June 2016 by the late Tina Leonard, Lake Placid native and REALTOR since 1991
- ✔ Led by Broker Chase Jermano (NY License 10491211719)
- ✔ Office at 2577 Main St, Lake Placid, NY 12946
- ✔ Full service: sales, first-time buyers, second homes, relocation, long-term rental management
- ✔ Team designations: Seller Representative Specialist, Accredited Buyer Representative, Pricing Strategy Advisor, Resort and Second Home Property Specialist
Keene NY Real Estate: Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Keene, NY from Lake Placid?
Keene is about 14 miles from Lake Placid, an 18 to 25 minute drive on State Route 73. The same road runs to Adirondack Northway (I-87) Exit 30, so the town sits directly between Lake Placid and the highway. Many owners treat Keene as the quieter side of the Lake Placid area: close enough for dinner or a ski day, far enough to escape the crowds.
What do homes cost in Keene, NY?
As of mid-2026, typical Keene homes trade from the low $400Ks to the mid $600Ks. Recent zip-level medians were $526,700 sold in the hamlet of Keene (12942) and $418,200 sold in Keene Valley (12943). Camps, cabins, and building lots come in below that range, while renovated village homes, view properties, and larger acreage run $800K and up. With roughly 33 sales per year, monthly figures swing widely.
Can I rent out my Keene home as a short-term rental?
Keene currently offers more short-term rental flexibility than Lake Placid, where North Elba caps hosted permits at 48 town-wide and bars new unhosted rentals in most residential zones. Keene drafted its own STR law but paused it, and no permit cap is confirmed in force. New York's statewide framework adds registration and taxes, with sales tax applying to STR stays since March 1, 2025. Rules are evolving, so verify the current town status before buying for rental income.
Is Keene, NY mostly second homes?
About half. Roughly 49.5 percent of the town's 1,026 housing units are classified for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, and only 377 are occupied year-round. That keeps inventory tight, and many properties change hands through local relationships before they ever reach the portals. It also means well-kept year-round homes tend to draw attention quickly when they do come on the market.
Which High Peaks are in the Town of Keene?
Fifteen of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks stand inside the town, including Mount Marcy, New York's highest summit at 5,343 feet, and much of the ten-mile Great Range. Trailheads include The Garden in Keene Valley, the Adirondack Mountain Reserve at St. Huberts, Roaring Brook Falls and Giant Mountain on Route 73, and Cascade Mountain, the most-climbed High Peak, in the northwest corner of town.
What school serves Keene, NY?
Keene Central School District operates a single PK-12 school in Keene Valley with about 170 students, which makes for very small class sizes and a close connection between the school and the town. The campus sits in the heart of the valley, minutes from The Garden trailhead. Buyers planning a year-round move often name the school's small scale as one of the town's most distinctive features.
Why buy in Keene instead of Lake Placid?
Keene puts you about 20 minutes closer to the Northway on Route 73, offers materially more short-term rental flexibility today, and holds 15 High Peaks inside the town line, generally at price points below Lake Placid's resort core. The trade is a quieter, three-hamlet feel: a beloved diner, a legendary gear shop, and a bakery instead of a resort Main Street. Buyers who want the mountains first tend to land here.
Keene, NY Location and Map
Talk to a Keene, NY Real Estate Broker
Whether you are hunting for a trailhead cabin, weighing a Keene Valley village home, or wondering what your property is worth in a market this tight, start with a conversation. Broker Chase Jermano and the Tina Leonard Real Estate team work Keene year-round from the office at 2577 Main St, Lake Placid, NY 12946.
Prefer email? chasejrealestate@gmail.com
