The reserve is the Alice Burn, above Luggate, where helicopters are expected to soon begin dropping 1080 poison to get rid of possums.
Ospri's Tb operation has thrown a spotlight on this little-visited, 2000ha piece of the Upper Clutha's conservation estate.
But while the Alice Burn is officially a scenic reserve, anyone wanting to observe its scenery first-hand will struggle.
It is effectively invisible from the Luggate township at its foot, and while the Department of Conservation advises there is legal access via the Alice Burn Creek - which joins the Luggate Creek - there is no ''formalised track or route''.
And the topographical map shows contour lines with little between them, suggesting an area broken up by steep gorges.
The reserve is at the northern end of the Pisa Range, and was part of two pastoral leases until 2001 when Doc acquired it for $275,000, and retired it from farming.
It takes in the Luggate, Tin Hut and Dead Horse creeks as well as the Alice Burn.
The reasons why Doc wanted it as a scenic reserve are spelled out in documents from the department's archives.
It is considered to have ''high natural values'' such as chionocioa rigida grassland (snow tussock), cushionfields and a glacial landscape around Lake McKay near the top.
In a 2001 Doc report, the Luggate Creek part of the reserve was said to have a ''spectacular gorge'' and a diverse range of native shrubs, ''some uncommon elsewhere''.
While the Alice Burn was considered vulnerable to fire, one of the previous leaseholders, Mathewson Farm Holdings, was credited by the unnamed author of the report as being ''not a fire addict''.
The reserve had native beetles, bugs, moths, flies, stoneflies, grasshoppers and cockroaches.
As well, there was a large body giant weevil, a caddisfly not known elsewhere and ''a high alpine population of our only scorpionfly''.
There was also a black butterfly and a flightless chafer on the reserve.
The report noted the reserve had wild pigs that had reached nuisance numbers but were ''really only significant'' because of their potential to spread Tb.
Goats and rabbits were also present.
Otago's goldmining past is evident in the reserve with water races, and diggings in an area known as the Upper Fatboy.
As for recreation, the report noted the best route for a walking track would be via Luggate Creek.
While it would take ''a lot of work'', it would provide ''a magnificent walk''.
A spokesman for Ospri said yesterday the aerial drop of 1080 would begin as soon as there was a ''weather window''.
