"It's like waking up every day to a vacation."

So says owner owner Tony Pio Costa about what some might call the deal of the century: A sprawling 70-acre property for sale in Kinnelon — though also stretching into neighboring Montville — with a private 25-acre lake, known as Surprise Lake, a recently-updated main home and several outbuildings.

"I personally didn't live there," said Pio Costa. "My son did for some time while he was in the process of building a new house, and he said that he almost wished he never built the other house because it's so spectacular."

Currently listed for $3.295 million by Megan Lavenburg of Century 21 The Crossing, the gated property at 1 Brook Valley Terrace was originally the site of Camp Aheka, a Boy Scouts camp that operated through much of the 1950s and 1960s. Now known as the Wheeler estate, it was transformed into a private family retreat by businessman Don Wheeler in the 1970s.

The expansive property still maintains remnants of its time as a Boy Scouts camp, including the mess hall, or communal dining area, with a large stone fireplace and an adjoining snack stand, as well as a large structure that once housed camp counselors. The lake's dock and boat house also dates back to Camp Aheka.

Beyond this, the property has also been a popular filming site for movies, television commercials and Super Bowl advertisements, among other things, over the years. It is farm assessed and is zoned for commercial ventures.

Pio Costa purchased the estate in 2021 because he was passionate about the property, and he said he spent the last several years bringing it back to its former glory. This involved adding new windows and a new roof to the mess hall, clearing out overgrown trees to improve the view of the lake, mechanizing the entry gate and upgrading the main home.

The expansive 70-acre property at 1 Brook Valley Terrace in Kinnelon was home to the Boy Scouts camp of Camp Aheka before being transformed into a sprawling private family retreat. It is home to the private 25-acre Surprise Lake and several outbuildings.

"I just think it's a fabulous piece of property," he said. "It was in disrepair and we brought it back to nearly 100%, with the exclusion of the outbuildings, but the main house was really brought up to speed."

The main house, a more than 6,000-square-foot Colonial Manor boasts six bedrooms — including a lake-facing primary suite — and seven bathrooms. It features refinished hardwood floors, a modernized kitchen, upgraded bathrooms, a new handmade bar on the lower level that leads to an outdoor patio, a game room, several deck spaces and an in-ground pool overlooking the lake.

The property also has another small two-bedroom house that is currently being rented for $2,700 per month, as well as a renovated carriage house with a garage and a studio apartment.

Also located within the Highlands Preservation Area, which is a designated zone for enhanced protection of its natural resources, the land is legally protected from overdevelopment. In addition, the estate is located about 30 miles from New York City, less than five miles from the private Lincoln Park Airport, miles of hiking trails and nearby local amenities.

"There's just so many possibilities on this property that it's unbelievable, and it's shocking to make that it's not sold yet," Lavenburg said. "It's the deal of a century."

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Once a Boy Scouts camp, this 70-acre NJ property for sale comes with a private lake