Day Trip to Green Ridge State Forest

On a warm overcast August day, the CORE 4×4 Club took a day trip out to Green Ridge State Forest to get some fresh air, and enjoy one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in Maryland. 

Attendee List:

We met at the Ranger Station located at 28700 Headquarters Dr NE, Flintstone, MD 21530 10am for a quick drivers meeting, collection of waivers. From there, we visited the Green Ridge Overlook, then hopped into the vehicles and headed to the start of the trail.

It was a little foggy in the morning, especially at elevation, so the overlooks weren’t quite as dramatic until the fog burnt off later in the morning. 

We proceeded down the start of the trail, and were immediately taken aback by how beautiful the forest is to drive through. The trails are well kept, and are very mild forest roads. We also had the opportunity to check out all of the primitive dispersed campsites throughout the forest. They are spread out, and are quite far from each other. This means that you have a lot of privacy, and peace and quiet. The club went out to Green Ridge earlier in 2021, for an overnight camping trip, and it certainly was peaceful and amazing. We look forward to doing another camping trip out here.

After cruising around, we stopped at the Point Lookout overlook (39.624858, -78.433456) along the trail, and after admiring the overlook over a tight bend of the Potomac river, we sat down for lunch at the overlook. After a fun time and a broken stool, we hopped back in the vehicles and continued along the trail. 

We stopped again at another scenic overlook (39.595329, -78.478015). After that, we continued down the trail, making our way towards the most off-road technical section of the Green Ridge Forest, Twigg Rd. 

Even though it is the most technical off-road part of Green Ridge, it is still very mild and easy to traverse. Just an occasional rut which may flex the vehicles a bit, but nothing careful line placement couldn’t overcome. There were quite a few large mud puddles, however, which were fun to splash through. 

After getting back onto the trail, we continued throughout the forest, enjoying the peace and quiet and beautiful scenery. We’re always surprised at how much of a gem this area is to drive through, and how approachable it is for any vehicle and skill level. 

Overall a fantastic trip, and we look forward to going back out!

Photo Album: 08/29/21 Green Ridge State Forest

Trail Reports written by Jendra Rambharos. Pictures contributed by Jendra Rambharos, Aimee Rambharos and Toby Turpin. GPS track provided by Jendra Rambharos.