On June 30th, 2007, CORE organized another run to Green Ridge State Forest. This would be the second run to Green Ridge this year. Short version: Wonderful ride. Good friends. A relaxing time. Just what I needed.
For more details continue reading.
“… just a really nice peaceful ride with the opportunity to reconnect with family and existing friends, and meet new friends.”
The group for this trip were:
- Mike Vincenty & Donna Edwards in a Jeep Rubicon
- Jose, Tracy, and David Avila in a Toyota 4Runner
- Jon Pinkham in a Jeep Cherokee (guest)
- Paul Hishmen in a Jeep JK (guest)
The morning started with us rolling out of bed and heading a couple of blocks down the street to meet the already assembled group. It was 7 AM. A quick exchange of helloes, a tank of gas, and we were off.
The ride to Green Ridge was quite and peaceful. We stopped in Flintstone MD, about 5 miles west of our entrance into the park. It was now about 8:30 AM. Here we stretched our legs and got last minute snacks.
Soon we headed west on Rt 144. I missed the turn into Old Williams Road. I thought I remembered a road sign for the road but didn’t see one this time and shot right past the road. A quick turn around got us onto Old Williams Road. We made our way to the ORV trail head and stopped for final preparations. I decided to disconnect my sway bars in order to get a smoother ride (made a noticeable difference for the ride).
We started our run. The ORV trail started on East Valley Road. It includes nice mild hill climbs; gradual descents; occasional rocks; and many water/mud puddles. We pressed on until we got to the clearing under the power lines. Here we stopped for a quick break before continuing. Here Jose played in the water and mud puddle covering this Toyota in a light mud coating. It took us about 1 hour to get to this point along the trail. It was now some time after 10 AM.
Soon we crossed over Mertens Avenue through the second ATV/ORV parking area. I made note of the nice camping area off to the left. This would make a nice group camp site. A few more miles along East Valley Road and the trail turned in a leftward direction.
Soon we would be making a left turn onto Stafford road. I called on the CB that the upcoming part of the trail was an uphill climb with lots of small rocks and deep ruts (at least that what every other run was like). As soon as we entered the hill climb, I had the check the map. After seeing the condition of the trail I was not sure I had take the correct turn. The trail was no longer a trail, but rather a graded dirt road. We climbed up hill alright, but it was absolutely smooth. Seems the Maryland DNR felt the need to “fix” the trail. In my opinion it was perfectly fine before. As we climbed I did see evidence of recent water runoff control projects. Looks like steel piping or steel troughs we being laid across the trail in order to divert running water. The road grading was probably done in support of this project.
In any case as we neared the top, the trail did get narrower and rockier. Again nothing hard, just a few rocks here and there to keep your attention. Occasionally branches from the growth would rub the sides of our vehicles.
We stopped for lunch at our favorite overlook. From here you can see east into the valley. Today (unlike prior runs) it was clear. You could see for miles. Very nice.
After lunch we left of the ORV trail system by heading on Mertens Avenue. We turned left on Green Ridge Road and proceeded a few miles south. We stopped another traditional overlook, Log Roll Hill. Here you can see into the valley, this time towards the west. We would be driving into this valley on our way to the Town Creek stream crossings. After our brief stop, we proceeded south on Greed Ridge Road. We made a right onto Pack Horse Road, then another right onto Maniford Road. Maniford takes you down to the creek. At this time of the year the water level in the creek is fairly low, about 6-8 inches in depth. We pressed on and crossed the creek two more times.
The final crossing marked the end of the trail ride. We headed back to Flintstone MD via Lower Town Creek Road. Here some of us gassed up, and said our final good byes before heading back home.
The Green Ridge trail system does not present any difficult challenges. It is just a really nice peaceful ride with the opportunity to reconnect with family and existing friends, and meet new friends. Highly recommended.
Trail report written by Mike Vincenty. Pictures courtesy of Paul Hishmen and Mike Vincenty. Video courtesy of Paul Hishmen.