Active Closures:
- The public shooting range is closed June 1–5, 2026 for training. It will reopen Saturday, June 6. Call 301-478-3124 for questions.
- Some roads and campsites may be temporarily closed following a recent flood event. Contact headquarters for current conditions.
Closures are updated as conditions change. Contact headquarters for current status.
Location:
Savage River State Forest Map
From Washington/Baltimore: Take I-70 W to I-68 W. Take Exit 22 (US-219 S) in Garrett County. Turn left on Chestnut Ridge Road, then right on New Germany Road. Turn left on Headquarters Lane. Headquarters is at the end of the lane. Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes from Frederick. From Pittsburgh: Take PA-43 S to US-40 E. Follow US-40 E to PA-281 S in Henry Clay Township. Continue to US-219 S in Garrett County via Friendsville Road. Follow US-219 S, then Sand Flat Road and Boiling Spring Road to Potomac Camp Road. Approximately 2 hours 25 minutes.
Headquarters:
127 Headquarters Lane, Grantsville, MD 21536
Phone:
301-895-5759
Office Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed weekends and major holidays. Staff are frequently in the field; call ahead before visiting.
Self-service kiosk:
Available 24 hours a day at the end of the headquarters parking lot for camping, shooting range, and fuelwood permits. Payment by cash or check payable to DNR only. Deposit envelopes in the green pay pipe at the kiosk.
Pets
Permitted throughout the forest on a leash at all times.
Recreation and Trails
Hunting, Trapping, and Permits
Forest Management
Overview
Savage River State Forest covers approximately 55,185 acres in the northeastern quadrant of Garrett County. It is a second-growth mixed hardwood forest dominated by oak species, sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, hickory, and ash. The forest also contains approximately 4,000 acres of conifer plantations established in the 1940s following state acquisition, primarily red pine with additional white pine, Norway spruce, larch, and Scotch pine. These plantations were established as nurse crops to rehabilitate abandoned and depleted farm fields, with the long-term goal of conversion to native hardwood where appropriate.
The forest has been actively managed for nine decades. Timber harvest operations are used to thin overstocked stands, remove mature and declining trees, improve age-class and species diversity, reduce wildfire hazard, and enhance wildlife habitat. Many areas of the forest have been designated as State Wildlands, ensuring the preservation of unique natural resources. The Savage River Reservoir, a 230-acre impoundment completed in 1951 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and owned by the Upper Potomac River Commission, lies within the forest and provides fishing and boating opportunities. Below the dam, controlled releases create one of the premier whitewater stretches in the eastern United States.
