While I'm sure there is excellent hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, camping - etc. - etc. - etc. going on here, we just came for the overlook. For years I've seen the signs, the same as everyone that traverses 68, about a scenic overlook, this time, it was finally time to see just how scenic is scenic. First off, super easy to find the overlook. Exit 64 off of 68, this applies to either direction, then it's just two right turns to the main park office. Plenty of offseason parking in winter, as you would expect, and there is good signage telling you where to go for the office, the overlook, outside seasonal restrooms and some of the nearby trails. From there it's maybe a fifty or sixty yard walk down a small sloped path to the wooden planked overlook. Kudos to the staff that even though it had just snowed the day prior, they had a small path cleared so that you could walk out on to the platform. Granted, the platform was also coated in thick ice, but that's another story. Excellent views of the forest landscape and of Fifteen Mile Creek. We didn't last long as even though it was sunny, it was still below freezing with a hell of a stiff breeze. On the way back up the trail we did stop briefly in the park office looking for a map as a souvenir/memento and while the door was open and there was a state vehicle parked outside (just our car and that one), nobody was there so we left as it felt...odd. The park itself is massive and hopefully in the future we can make the time to come back and explore more. Park website: dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/publiclands/western_greenridgeforest.aspx First picture is the Greenridge Overlook: www.mdmountainside.com/blog/post/green-ridge-state-forest-scenic-overlooks-tour/ read more

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Yelp Fam!!!! A different review for the start of this month. Camping is one of my favorite things in the world. Especially since I live in the city being able to have silence is few and far between. GRSF is a gem, you have the bare necessities to have a great authentic camping experience. You can register for a camp site at the self service station. Sign up for a site, pay your money, get camping. Tip*- you must take your trash with you. You can dispose of it at the rangers station Each site has : bench Fire pit Cleared area for tents/hammocks We always stop off at Belle Grove Store- They carry all the essentials and food if you need some grub. This go round we were at site 5. Truly perfect, tons of fire wood around, very quiet and peaceful. Take advantage of this beautiful state forest while the weather is nice! read more

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Absolutely gorgeous views! 15 Mile creek road is a very fun and interesting trail for some off-road truck adventure. Some of the spots were very icy, so be careful there if going in winter. The river crossings is great also! Beautiful overlook at the information center. Maps and camping guides are available there. I had a great experience!! read more

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Green Ridge State Forest is really a gem. It has everything the hiker, camper, fisherman, hunter, cyclist, small boater, off-roader could want! And it's only a 2 hour drive from Baltimore or DC! The State Forest is extremely well maintained and is quite large. It sits close to the West Virginia border, along the Potomac River and C&O Canal. It has some amazing views from the top of the ridge and makes a great place for a day trip or extended camping. The reason for our visit was twofold. First, I wanted to take the ridiculous SUV I drive off-road so that I could honestly say I used it for it's prescribed purpose at least once. Mission accomplished. There's an 18 mile loop ORV trail that we tackled alongside four-wheelers and dirt bikes. It's quite a trail, too! It wasn't too wet, thankfully, so we survived the 7 or so miles we decided to try out. I'd recommend this to anyone that's looking for a legal place to go off road and test out the mettle of your off road vehicle. As long as your vehicle is registered, you're good to go. If it's an unregistered ORV, you'll need to come with a state issued ORV permit. For camping, the sites are mostly (if not exclusively) primitive (no toilet or running water) but have a fire ring and plenty of room to stretch out. There are many sites accessible by regular car, some only accessible to those with an ORV and others, along the C&O, that can be accessed only by foot. Along the foot trail, we did notice one site with a water pump and latrine -- possibly something to consider if you like porcelain under your bottom. Speaking of the C&O trail... This was the 2nd mission we had - to stretch our legs on a little. We hiked a few miles along the canal and saw some of the old locks and saw relatively few people. The trail is the former mule path used to tow barges through the canal. If you're facing the canal, your back is to the beautiful Potomac and there is a boat launch nearby. Lots of current so don't expect to paddle upstream! The ranger station off exit 64 has a place to fill your water bottles, a soda machine, maps, camping registration, an overlook, restrooms and is a good starting point for one of the other trails. There is a gas station at one of the exits (72?) that sells firewood, food and other essentials. Keep in mind that you can use any wood that is down and dead within the camping areas for your fire, so you probably won't need to bring wood along unless you're planning some sort of "burning man" type fire. Overall, this is a great place to get away and reconnect with nature. read more

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The camping sites are well maintained and very private. Our campsite was 56, which I recommended due: 1) to the size - much bigger and wider than all the other campsites I saw. You could easily have three tents and cars; 2) much of the campsite was cleared (basically a wide open field). With the clearly came wonderful views of the night sky/stars and lots of moonlight; 3) there was a lot of wooded/thick brush for privacy, surrounding the clearing, and some trails, which was good for using the bathroom 4) it was close to most of the hiking trails and to HQ. HQ staff was really friendly and informative. $10 a night. Hiking trails are pretty tough and challenging so be prepared. For a more leisurely walk, I'd recommend the path along the C&O Chanel! read more

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Primitive campsites, some sites a bit hard to get to (winding dirt gravel roads with little pits you need to drive slowly over). We stayed at site 79, no campsites for at least 0.5 miles so we were quite secluded. Right off the challenging red trail. $10/night. Great hiking. Lots of great views, cliffs, water, wildlife. Even spotted. Wild turkey and its chick. Staff was so friendly and helpful. Can't wait to return! read more

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Very LOVELY state park great for beginner "OFF-ROADING" many hills and mountains and spectacular views. No guard rails, sharp "blind" corners, switch backs...LOVE IT Also saw quiet a few "regular front wheel drive cars too Recommend you take GPS....... roads intertwine and I doubt that the road you used to come in on is the one you'll"ll exit on read more

Green Ridge State Forest - No Guard rails - Parks Near Me - Allegany, Maryland

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We LOVED camping at Green Ridge. We've camped in many campsites in PA, MD, DE, and VA, and Green Ridge is our new favorite. The camping sites are very well-maintained and private, the forest is beautiful, the rangers are helpful, and the hiking is great. We stayed in a site on Sugar Bottom Road and it was accessable by car. The nearby forest has adequate downed wood if you walk in a couple hundred feet. If you decide to come camping here, remember to bring your own water as there is none at the site, and I recommend bringing biodegradable wipes to do your business in the woods without leaving a trace (no bathrooms at the sites). read more

We took our 4 year old here on his first camping trip on the Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend. It's a nice park and we had a good time. A few points - - You need to check in at headquarters first and get your site. It gets full on holiday weekends, though there are overflow sites. - After you pick your site, you'll want to ask about the best way to get there. Some of the roads on the park map are very rough and would be impossible to travel when wet. Even with a 4 wheel drive, I would think. - On a related note, gas up before entering. - The Bond Landing sites are pretty close together. - There's good firewood for sale about a 1/2 mile from headquarters. There are directions at the information hut. - The park is mixed use, so there is some logging going on. - Some sites are going to be pretty close to the very active train tracks (Bond Landing, probably anything close to the river). I took off a star because I'd like to see a informational loop trail, or some other activity, for little kids, and the map could be a little more accurate, but other than that it was a great time. read more

Camping is nice, beautiful and inexpensive. Although there are very rude fishing people that park in your site, walk through your site getting your dog worked up and leaving trash behind. Camping is about being with family & friends and relaxing in the quiet. Beware of the rude/disrespectful people fishing. read more

I LOVE this place. Campgrounds are secluded, there are not many people there at once, there are swimming holes, and the area is beautiful. Last time I was there I got to see a black bear. I love going there to look for salamanders, snakes, birds etc. Really great hikes too. read more

We come here all the time for large group "shitshow" camping. The group sites are far enough away from other sites that being loud and obnoxious doesn't usually bother anyone else. Being allowed to have bond fires is crucial and often not allowed at other places. This place is pretty huge, even for just driving around. Great for getting away for the weekend and checking out some scenery on foot or by car. read more

This place was great! It was exactly the type of camping I have been looking for for years. Secluded campsites surrounded by beautiful wilderness, dog friendly, and you're allowed to drink here! I live 3 hours away in Pittsburgh but will definitely be camping here often! We took a wagon which worked great for gathering fire wood and bringing it back to our campsite. We also had a big stereo that was no problem because our closest neighbors were too far away to hear. A ranger stopped in to check up on us but was friendly and gave us no trouble. And the people who work in the office were very helpful. Green Ridge State Forest is a real gem. read more

I have been camping here twice. I love it. First, the two campsites I used were very remote. I don't remember the first one, the second was #99. The next closest campsite was a minimum half of a mile away. Every campsite comes with a table and a fire ring. Be warned, there is no water or plumbing. You'll be doing your "business" in the woods. There's a lot to do here. There's hiking trails, a mountain bike trail, overlooks, etc. I highly recommend campsite #99. Driving there was a little bit of an adventure to get to, especially if you take Carroll Rd. to get there. SUV or truck is needed. Cell service for AT&T is very spotty here, but your phone should be off and in your vehicle anyways. FYI. read more

Just spent the week camping and hunting GRSF, the sites are primitive as listed but only a few have easy access with room for a small trailer. Ask for site suggestions at the ranger station. i have a 18 ft camper and didn't have any trouble getting into site 29. Site 30 isn't as larger but has a good entrance with no trees to doge. Would have gave the park a 5 if I'd gotten a deer. I highly recommend for hiking and biking , we drove hours throughout the park and only covered less than half. read more

Wow giving a precious natural resource low ratings for not being able to use drugs. WTF is wrong with people. I imagine the Rangers are aggressively checking things out for a reason. Leave the drugs at home people. Unbelievable. Is your life that ridiculous that you need to be inebriated or high to enjoy a bit of rare pristine nature. Time for a self examination of what is wrong with you. read more

I absolutely loved camping here. You do have to trade some convenience for the beautiful, secluded camping sites, but it is well worth it. Here are some things I learned for our next trip: -If possible, get there before the weekend rush, especially if you want a spot by the water. Campsites are first come, first served. -If you're not driving a 4WD vehicle, try to find the quickest route to your campsite. The roads are very rough. We took a less-than-ideal route in my Pontiac G6, and it took us 45 minutes to get from the highway to our site, when it should have taken about 20. -"Primitive" means PRIMITIVE. There are only a few bathrooms scattered around this massive park, so odds are you will not have one nearby. -If you have an axe or a hatchet, bring it along! There were tons of dead, fallen trees right behind our campsite. After the first night, we didn't pay a dime for firewood. The place is awesome, the river is perfect for swimming, and the campsites are very spread out, giving you plenty of privacy. Me and eight rowdy, drunken friends had no issue with the rangers or police. One cop stopped by just to "check in on us," and he was quickly on his way, even though we were all a mess. Just don't be a complete idiot, shooting guns or fireworks and tearing the place apart, and you'll have an unforgettable time. read more

Absolutely beautiful place to camp. Love the seclusion and the freedom to drink alcohol - sounds like bringing drugs is a bad idea from the reviews below - don't do that. Never ever been hassled by rangers. I suspect there was a reason these other reviewers were inspected... read more

BEWARE OF THE PARK RANGERS!! They are really aggressive about searching campsites and asking about drugs. They come around to the campsites every evening and shine their flashlights over your stuff trying to catch you with something that you left out. Other than the cops who were complete ******** (Insert expletive here), the park would have gotten five stars. It is beautiful, the campsites are secluded, the hikes are nice, the woods are peaceful. We were there on a cloudy night, and turned out our lights... in the pitch blackness we could see distant fireflies providing us with nature's light show. If you are clean or careful, you will come away loving this place. read more

As a child until my early teens my father took me deer hunting / camping here every deer season we would spend the whole week hunting and camping ! I loved it ! Now I have stock piles of memories of Green Ridge State Forest ! I look forward taking my son ,family and friends to do more of the same only more fishing to ! read more

Nice location with nice scenery but after we got there and got settled in two park cops came by and without hesitation began to interigate us as if we were under suspicion. They asked us if we had firearms probably 10 times with the same answer. No. Talk about making us not feel welcome. I would understand if we were a bunch of teenager running around but we were not. The youngest person at the site was 25. We weren't being loud or doing anything else that would be reason for anything like that. They also kept pushing the fact that people go there to smoke marijuana as if that was their excuse for searching everything we owned (for some reason I don't think people who smoke marijuana are the people you need to be on the look out for).They probably harrassed us for at least an hour and a half(throwing off our diner and ruining our potatos). If you don't want some park cop going through your underwear for no apparent reason then don't go here. By far the worst park experience I have ever had. read more