Notice:
As a result of flooding and storm damage, the following facilities are closed: The St. John's Rock ORV Trail is currently CLOSED - the road is washed out in many sections and will require approximately a week for staff to repair. The campground remains open, however the road beyond the campground to Avilton-Lonaconing Road is closed.
Campsites 164 to 168 off of Blue Lick Road, and campsites 106 to 110 on Savage River Road are CLOSED. State Forest staff and County Roads staff must address damage to roads and culverts before these sites can be reopened.
State Forest staff apologize for any inconvenience these closures may cause, and are working to reopen these facilities as quickly as possible. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP OF THE CLOSURES
Contact: 301-895-5759
Garrett County
Office:
127 Headquarters Lane
Grantsville, MD 21536
Office Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm
Days and times are subject to change based on staffing needs.
Other days/hours available by appointment only.
Please call headquarters for scheduling.
ATTENTION VISITORS: We apologize that our office is periodically closed as we are out in the field. We encourage calling prior to visiting the office to ensure staff will be onsite. The main phone number voice messages will be answered during business hours. All informational materials, maps, brochures, along with temporary fuelwood permits, shooting range envelopes, and non-reservable camping envelopes can be found at the kiosk located at the end of the parking lot. Payment envelopes can be placed in the green pay pipe located in front of the kiosk.
Information
Welcome to Savage River State Forest. Savage River State Forest is approximately 55,185 acres in size and is situated in the northeastern quadrant of Garrett County in Western Maryland. It is a second growth mixed hardwood forest dominated by oak species, sugar and red maple, black cherry, hickory and ash. Savage River State Forest has been intensively managed over the last nine decades. Forest harvests and grooming operations are undertaken to thin overstocked stands, to effectively deal with public concerns, to harvest mature or disease/dying trees, to improve habitat for certain wildlife species, to assist and provide for certain research needs, to address aesthetic concerns and to increase the proportion of age/height diversity of forested stands.
Savage River State Forest visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, boat/canoeing, ORV trail riding, firewood cutting, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and primitive camping. Savage River also has a public shooting range which is open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. (Call office to check for occasional closures.) Many areas of the forest have been designated as State Wildlands, ensuring the preservation of unique natural resources. Forest regulations are posted throughout the State Forest on bulletin boards. A kiosk located outside the headquarters can be visited 24 hours a day to obtain self-registration firewood cutting permits, self-registration camping permits, self-registration yearly shooting range permits and general information. Additional information and brochures can be obtained by calling the forest headquarters at 301-895-5759.
