Savage River State Forest, near Grantsville, Maryland, is a fantastic spot for those seeking a peaceful escape into nature. This campground offers a rustic experience with spacious sites that provide a sense of privacy, perfect for unwinding by the creek or enjoying a cozy fire under the stars.

Visitors rave about the beautiful surroundings, with many sites backing up to a lovely stream and thick vegetation creating a natural barrier between campers. The area is ideal for adults looking to relax, as alcohol is permitted, and you won’t have to deal with the noise of children running around. As one camper put it, “Loved staying here, so peaceful... hunting, fishing, and fires all within 3 mins from each other not to mention the views!”

For those who enjoy outdoor activities, there’s plenty to do. You can hike, fish, or simply take in the stunning scenery, including the nearby river and lush forest. Some campers appreciate the no-frills vibe, saying it “puts more 'camp' in camping,” making it a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.

While the campground lacks some modern amenities, the clean and accessible sites make it a solid choice for a back-to-nature experience. Just remember to bring your own water and firewood, and you’ll be all set for a memorable stay in this beautiful part of Maryland.

Savage River State Forest

Are you in need of a campground near Grantsville, MD? Grantsville is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Grantsville, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Grantsville

The Best Camping Near Grantsville, Maryland

beautiful location and landscapes, great hiking 

I need more time here!

I went camping the last week of August and it was beautiful. If you’re from the area you know how hot it can be at this time of year but it’s at least 10 degrees cooler out here. I stayed at a primitive campsite with my dog and we found a site right on a beautiful stream. It was a good sized site with a nice fire circle. my favorite part was how private it was, each campsite was 50-100ft away from each other at least. Mine was probably 100yrds. There’s also plenty of hiking in the park and in the adjacent parks like New Germany state park. There’s also places to swim nearby so all in all this park gives a lot. 

Undisturbed beauty 

The sites are very spread out, and not very consistent in size/quality. We were able to nab site 112 and it was fantastic: lots of space, and privacy too. It was next to a road, but one with very little traffic. However, we drove past some sites that looked sad and offering no seclusion.

Personally I think the seclusion is well worth the price, but it's worth mentioning that to get potable water we had to drive ~20 minutes. Same deal as far as the for-better-or-worse, but we had no cell service at all for most of the area.

Finally, the Cornucopia Café just outside the park is A MUST VISIT. Inventive menu, friendly staff, outdoor seating, we were pleasantly surprised and will return.

Extremely dispersed sites

The campgrounds were full but the sites are spaced far enough apart that we didn’t see or hear anyone else. The closest restrooms are at the end of the road near the lake and were well taken care of. Overall the kids and I had a great time. 

Memorial Day weekend

If you want a good primitive camping experience this place is great. Only $10 a night and you’re supposed to only have 2 cars and 6 people at a single site but the rangers don’t really care much as long as you’re not causing trouble. There’s multiple boat ramps, and from one end of the reservoir to the other on a kayak is about 2 hours. Hiking options are endless although some are hard to spot. There are some shallow swimming holes that are nice when it’s hot. It’s a beautiful location.

Great primitive campground

This area is gorgeous! Many of the sites are along streams that run down toward the river. Get here early-- we arrived late on a Thursday and scored a great spot. Most sites were taken early Friday afternoon. The flora is beautiful and peaceful and there are lots of animals about to see. We spotted a raccoon, a bunny, a chipmunk, and (along the nearby roads) lots of deer-- don't drive too fast! 

  

The sites are not very far off the road; I am a fairly light sleeper and woke a number of times to car noise. However, the sites are spaced far apart, and most are far enough from the road to feel like you have privacy. 

  

One downside was the amount of rubbish left from other campers-- please dig a hole and bury your toilet paper/waste! We found numerous spots of TP dotting the woods near our site, which is disgusting and bad for the environment/nearby water sources. 

  

Plenty to do in the area. We went on a hike to the highest point in MD, saw Cumberland, and went to Morgantown for a day. 

  

Firewood is available at nearby convenience stores. You need to use local wood. 

  

Pit bathrooms are not available at the sites, but at an adjacent state park. There are bathrooms and showers available at a nearby state park (New Germany) if you're desperate for a shower or such.

Gorgeous setting

This was a beautiful state forest, with two state parks sort of bordering it (Big Run &amp; New Germany). The roads were all paved which was nice. We got sites 112 &amp; 113 because we had a few people join us. Those sites are right next to each other so it worked out really nicely. 113 was a big open field, and 112 was in a sort of pine forest. Both were relatively close to the road and both had poison ivy along their edges. We got the impression that the road is not very travelled, but we were accidentally there on the weekend that they released the dam, so there were a ton of people driving around looking for an available site. We initially wanted to camp at the whitewater sites, but we are so glad we didn't because those sites ended up becoming a parking lot for people who were there for the dam release. Recommend the High Rock hike and any of the trails in New Germany State Park. One more thing - the map indicated an iron ranger nearby these sites but we couldn't find it, so we ended up depositing our payment at the iron ranger at the white water sites. You could pick up payment envelopes at the headquarters or the whitewater sites.

Secluded except when dam releases

I was camping at site 109; a seemingly very small clearing, feet from the road. At one corner of this clearing is a 5 foot wide trail which leads to a larger clearing, with a large fire pit. I figured this was part of the campsite, pitched my tent there and left my car in the small initial clearing. Woke up to a police officer telling me that although he knew very well the site delineation was very ambiguous, he had no choice but to give me a citation for camping in violation of my permit, which is no less than a criminal offense in MD. Officer admitted regularly ticketing campers this way, and that his superiors didn't care to remedy.  

  

3 stars because the rest was fantastic!

 Criminal citation, for pitching tent outside of poorly delineated area

This is a no frill camp area that actually feels like a campground instead of a resort.  Not great swim areas, but one can jump in the river to cool off.  Lots of bugs...but thats the Mid Atlantic.  It was a good time away from the city.

Puts more 'camp" in camping

Very remote western Maryland Appalachia.  Sites are right off park road, are huge, rustic, and spaced very far apart from other sites.  River runs along the sites. 

Fantastic

It’s the biggest State Forest in Maryland, and there is plenty of room. Sites are either secluded car camping that is first come-first served (pay at honor box) or wilderness dispersed camping. Make sure to know where you can and cannot pitch a tent. Other than that there isn’t much other than seclusion that is hard to come by on this state. It is popular because alcohol is allowed in state forests, but not in state parks. 

Biggest Forest in Maryland

Vibe: deep woods, privacy, great stream

Spots: spaced way out, nice spots, many back up to the creek, thick vegetation between sites

Cell service: no service on Verizon

My favorite kind of camping because it feels like you are all alone



Very private sites - great creek

I had a great time. I loved the view at my site. The lake was beautiful too. 

Great

The camp site was amazing with the girl and a fire pit by the water 

A amazing time 

Our campsite was very clean and easily accessible. Lots of stuff to do and a beautiful river to walk or drive to!

Great experience!

Loved staying here, so peaceful.. definitely for adults since your allowed alcohol, no children running around being loud, no crying etc! Hunting, fishing and fires all within 3 mins from eachother not to mention the views!

Loved this

I am not paying for this crap

There are no amenities here besides a picnic table and a fire ring, but the sites are so spread out that it’s basically like dispersed camping but on a paved road. Which is like the magic ticket to enjoyable camping!

I reserved site 125 which was right across from the creek. The creek had some pools deep enough to sit in and get fairly wet. 

It was very quiet other than fireworks a couple times. We saw no wildlife until we left the site in the morning and saw some deer on the road. Though we did have a spectacular firefly display at night. 

A lot of litter left behind by previous campers. No cell service. Beautiful forest. Be prepared for mosquitoes and gnats. 



Photos of Savage River State Forest

Real photos from real campers