It appears that winter is already over. In fact it seems like it’s been over for a month. It’s been unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 70s on multiple days in Maryland. I suppose I didn’t take my own advice all that much this winter to go outside in the cold, but we wrapped up the winter with a great trip to Western Maryland.
Anyway, Jesse (and Geneva) invited me to check out the trails in Green Ridge State Forest. The forest is full of unpaved trails for vehicle use. Many are easy to pass, but deeper into the forest they can get more technical. However you are rewarded with an increasingly peaceful forest surrounding you. We rode in Jesse’s truck (Toyota Tacoma) so we could explore the trails with the most ground clearance.
After grabbing a map at the Forest Headquarters, we jumped on the interstate for a minute to get to 15 Mile Creek Road. We immediately turned on Big Ridge Road and made it all the way to the Mason-Dixon Line on Double Pine Road. We headed back into the forest via Elbinsville Road and toward National Pike.
Camping at Green Ridge
There are dozens of designated campsites in Green Ridge, and many were occupied to my surprise. It was another unseasonably warm day (~65F) so people were taking advantage of the weather.
The campsites are cheap at only $10/night. I would definitely want to camp around Green Ridge. We were not far from the highway as we passed many of the campsites, but we could not hear any road noise.
Black Sulphur Spring and Wallizer Road
After a brief drive back on a paved road (MD 144), we turned on Old Williams Road and followed to Black Sulphur Spring Road. The spring is located a bit off of the road, and we didn’t see a trail, so we just stopped at the creek for a minute.
Mountain Biking
Turning left on Wallizer Road, we stopped at the Mountain Bike Trail and Camping Area. If you are into mountain biking, this looked like the place to be. Green Ridge has a large mountain bike trail loop blazed in purple on the map (it certainly looks pink on the trail).
Enjoying the View
After a driving a few more minutes along Wallizer Road, we turned South onto Green Ridge Road. Green Ridge Road follows the ridge-line at a slight downhill and provides excellent overlooks to enjoy the view. We were fortunate enough to have a very clear day. In my opinion, the best view was the Log Roll Overlook near the Southern end of Green Ridge Road.
That’s a wrap
…for now. Green Ridge is definitely a place to spend an entire weekend. Despite being in Green Ridge State Forest for most of the day, we barely scratched the surface. I didn’t get nearly enough footage as I had hoped, but I used what I got to try my hand at some video editing. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading (and viewing).
