Shortlist · Green Ridge State Forest, Maryland

Quiet campsites

69 of the 99 campsites with a page qualify.

Three things make noise in this forest that the forest did not make: the public shooting range, Interstate 68 along the northern edge, and the freight line in the Potomac valley. These sites are outside all three.

See the soundsheds on the map in the app All 99 campsite pages

The app draws the three sources as soft-edged sheds, so you can see how close a site sits to the edge of one.

Independent, free, and built by campers. Not a DNR service.

Booking
None. Sites are first come, first served.
Fee
$10 a night for a standard site, $20 for a group site, paid at headquarters. Maryland DNR.
Check in
Sign the sheet at headquarters when you arrive, then go to the site.
Is it free tonight?
This page cannot know. The app shows what the sign-up sheet last showed, with the photo's age.
What put a site on this list

Outside the modelled reach of the shooting range, Interstate 68 and the freight railway — the same test the app applies when it says a site is out of earshot.

The test
Outside all three modelled soundsheds. Listed deepest into the quiet first, which is why the far corners of the forest lead.
Where it comes from
Known alignments for the road and the railway, a verified pin for the range, and radii from how far each sound actually carries — rifle fire for a mile or two and further on a still morning, interstate hush to about a mile with trucks, freight horns channelled up the Potomac valley at night.
What it does not mean
Quiet of engines, not quiet of people: this is a hunting forest, gunfire is legal throughout it outside posted safety zones, and a neighbouring pitch is a neighbouring pitch. The geometry is approximate and there is no sound meter behind it.
The sites

The first 12, deepest into the quiet first

  • Campsite 49

    Easy in, quiet.

    • Gravel road, 4.7 mi unpaved, 31 min from HQ. The pitch sits 449 ft from the road.
    • Right by the road.
    Everything about site 49 →

  • Campsite 50

    Hillside, easy in, quiet, secluded.

    • Gravel road, 5.8 mi unpaved, 34 min from HQ, 13% grade on the way. The pitch sits 3022 ft from the road.
    • 862 ft, south-facing hillside.
    • Room for a pop-up, secluded, right by the road, a view.
    Everything about site 50 →

  • Campsite 48

    Upper slope, rough in, quiet.

    • Rough road, 3.9 mi unpaved, 29 min from HQ. The pitch sits 82 ft from the road.
    • 1,083 ft, east-facing upper slope.
    • Room for a pop-up.
    Everything about site 48 →

  • Campsite 47

    Upper slope, rough in, quiet.

    • Rough road, 4.5 mi unpaved, 33 min from HQ, 14% grade on the way.
    • 1,003 ft, southeast-facing upper slope.
    • Room for a pop-up.
    Everything about site 47 →

  • Campsite 99

    Upper slope, rough in, quiet.

    • Rough road, 6.3 mi unpaved, 53 min from HQ, 18% grade on the way.
    • 655 ft, northwest-facing upper slope.
    • Wooded.
    Everything about site 99 →

  • Campsite 64

    Bench, by a creek, easy in, quiet.

    • Gravel road, 4.7 mi unpaved, 36 min from HQ, 13% grade on the way.
    • 1,131 ft, bench.
    • Room for a trailer.
    Everything about site 64 →

  • Campsite 89

    Hillside, by a creek, rough in, quiet.

    • Rough road, 3.0 mi unpaved, 29 min from HQ.
    • 597 ft, northeast-facing hillside.
    • Right by the road.
    Everything about site 89 →

  • Campsite 46

    Hillside, rough in, quiet.

    • Rough road, 4.0 mi unpaved, 34 min from HQ. The pitch sits 75 ft from the road.
    • 1,001 ft, northeast-facing hillside.
    • Room for a pop-up.
    Everything about site 46 →

  • Campsite 53

    Hillside, by a creek, easy in, quiet.

    • Gravel road, 3.4 mi unpaved, 29 min from HQ, 14% grade on the way. The pitch sits 95 ft from the road.
    • 1,154 ft, east-facing hillside.
    • Running water 236 ft south.
    Everything about site 53 →

  • Campsite 63

    Ridge-top, easy in, quiet.

    • Gravel road, 3.6 mi unpaved, 32 min from HQ, 13% grade on the way. The pitch sits 840 ft from the road.
    • 1,756 ft, west-facing ridge crest.
    • Running water 0.4 mi west.
    Everything about site 63 →

  • Campsite 52

    Bench, easy in, quiet, secluded.

    • Gravel road, 5.3 mi unpaved, 31 min from HQ.
    • 1,114 ft, bench.
    • Secluded.
    Everything about site 52 →

  • Campsite 67

    Bench, easy in, quiet, secluded.

    • Gravel road, 3.4 mi unpaved, 20 min from HQ. The pitch sits 328 ft from the road.
    • 1,101 ft, bench.
    • Room for a trailer, secluded.
    Everything about site 67 →

The other 57 that qualify

Same test, same order. Each number opens that site’s page.

Other ways in

The other shortlists

Every list is built from the same data, and a site can appear on several of them.

Where these numbers come from

Provenance

This list is generated from open data at build time, not compiled by hand. Nothing on it is a recommendation: it is a test, run over every campsite, with the test written at the top of the page so you can disagree with it.

  • Elevation, landform, slope, the horizon profile, sun times and the steepest grade on the approach come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).
  • Roads, surfaces and watercourses come from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL.
  • Campsite coordinates and sections come from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources campsite layer.
  • Pitch tags — room for a trailer, secluded, a view — come from campers, and are the only thing here that is a judgement rather than a measurement.
  • Availability comes from nowhere, because there is no source for it. See above.

Independent, free, and built by campers. Not a DNR service. Greenridge is not affiliated with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources or any government agency, and the forest’s own rules always win.