Polly Brook Wilderness Area, near Springhill, straddles the watershed divide between two tributaries of River Philip, and includes the upper reaches of Polly Brook.

River Philip has historically been one of the most productive Atlantic salmon rivers on the Northumberland coast, and Polly Brook provides excellent habitat for spawning salmon.

Forest cover consists primarily of mixed sugar maple, yellow birch, and red spruce stands on well drained hills. These woodlands provide habitat for species that require or prefer interior forest conditions, in a region where land use is predominantly forestry, farming and residential.

This wilderness area provides the only representation of the Cumberland Foothills natural landscape in the provincial protected areas network. The foothills are part of the transition zone between the Cobequid Mountains and the lowlands of the Northumberland Strait Plain.

A 4 km section of transmission line right-of-way crosses the wilderness area. Nova Scotia Power (NSPI) retains the authority to operate and maintain these transmission lines. An OHV trail within this corridor is managed by the Snowmobilers Association of Nova Scotia (SANS) and All-terrain Vehicle Association of Nova Scotia (ATVANS) under agreements with Nova Scotia Environment. Bicycle use is also permitted on this route (SANS trail #1).