Camping Recommendation

[Deep Thought]

[First off woohoo I think I figured out MultiQuote!]

I'm going to recommend Savage River State Forrest. Yeah, its a little over an hour past Greenridge SF but it hands down puts Greenridge to shame in nearly every way.

There is no other county in MD like Garrett County. Savage River State Forrest has a gun range, primitive camping, ORV trails that are still open (besides Poplar Lick), excellent fishing and hiking. It's just more "wild" out there.

Try staying at one of the primitive camp sights near Swallow Falls. during the day, you can hike or swim at the falls and go back to the middle of nowhere camping at night. If you want to ride the ORV trails and hit the gun range plan on bringing extra gas money. Things are pretty spread out up there and a lot of the back roads are straight up and down. Its a great drive on a nice day, especially when the leaves are changing.

Very cool, now that brings me back to all my positive camping experiences. I will definitely be looking this place up. Sounds like the range is quote remote to the camping areas?

Greenridge is great. If you drive into the camping area from the park HQ, be prepared for some crazy off road driving. It was scary in my 2WD sedan. I'm sure a 4WD is a better choice. There's a back way into the camp sites that's a much easier drive, but I didn't figure that out until the next morning. Good thing, because I'm not sure my car could have made it up some of the hills I drove down to get in.

15 mile creek trail is pretty challenging. It's also a fun trail to hike. A 10-20 minute drive from the campsites gets you down to the the C&O Canal towpath trail. Do yourself a favor and order a topo map from the DNR website ahead of time. I did self registration for my campsite, and while I was only a couple hundred feet from 15 mile creek according to the map, I was also several hundred feet above it. So no water access from my site. A topo map would have made that more evident.

Doesn't sound like my little car would fair so well in these conditions. Hard to ignore your comment about a backway into camp given the other poster's comments about homosexual raids there (I assume the one comment did not influence the other..).

 

[Darkness]

+1. It's where I go. Love to camp and bring guns.

DO NOT BRING GUNS to green ridge. last time i was there DNR showed up in the middle of the night and fined me for my loaded shotgun leaning against the tree. If you are bringing guns leave them in the vehicle till you get to the range

 

[rgramjet]

I read that some of the C&O lock houses are rentable for overnight stays. Think it might be the only way to get my wife out in the "woods".

 

[Biggfoot44]

I guess scary roads are relative. While it is true that the most direct road from the Forrest HQ is a bit more *interesting* than the other primary routes , I've never had any issues with regular cars.

Any large Forrest , be it a State Forrest , or Nat'l Forrest will have minimal inhouse LE presence. . I don't have any current scoop on Md Forrest Service staffing , but in the US Forrest Service typical is one Law Enforcement Agent per Ranger Dist ( up to 100K acres ). Not per shift , but per District. What with the occasional investagation , don't expect much routine patrol.

Don't get me wrong, you're as safe as in in any rural area generally ( ie reasonably safe generally , and safer than urban and suburban area ). But these areas aren't your pocket sized city park with park employees at your every shoulder.

Years ago frequented Savage River SF. Indeed a nice area , but two factors in recent decades. As close or closer to go to GWNF , and no issues with firearms there in Va or Wv.

 

[Erno86]

DO NOT BRING GUNS to green ridge. last time i was there DNR showed up in the middle of the night and fined me for my loaded shotgun leaning against the tree. If you are bringing guns leave them in the vehicle till you get to the range

A person that can legally own a gun, can bring firearms to Green Ridge State Forest. Aside from pistol's being stored in a separate location from ammo in a person's registered vehicle, unless one has a carry permit --- you can have a firearm in your tent or campsite --- but it has to be unloaded; but the ammo for the firearm {pistol or rifle/shotgun} does not have to be in a separate location.

Do not lean a gun --- loaded or unloaded --- say for instance....against a tree or a car {Maryland State Law}.

Target shooting is not allowed at Green Ridge State Forest campsites.

At least during hunting season...expect at least one inspection visit of every occupied campsite, from the Park Ranger Service or Maryland DNR at Green Ridge State Forest. The first question they usually ask: Do you have any firearm's? The second question they ask: May we inspect them?