‘Adventure in the Western Maryland Wilderness’
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially opened Savage Highlands State Park, which provides increased access to tens of thousands of acres of state forest and natural areas in Garrett County and the surrounding region.
Maryland’s newest state welcomed its first overnight reservation-holders the weekend of August 28 along with a steady stream of day-use visitors touring the new location and talking with staff. The park’s main lodge is open the public every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are being accepted for yurts and campsites through November 1.
Savage Highlands State Park provides family-friendly accommodations for rent and serves as a major access point to Western Maryland’s network of state parks, state forests, rivers, reservoirs, and mountain trails.
Formerly a privately-owned luxury lodge, Savage Highlands State Park includes a large central lodge, 18 cabins, eight yurts, and approximately 5.75 miles of trails. The complex serves as a gateway to the surrounding 55,000-acre Savage River State Forest and the nearby network of year-round outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, fishing, skiing, swimming, paddling, and hunting.
Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said Savage Highlands amounts to one of the department’s most significant new park openings in decades. When the property previously known as Savage River Lodge was available for sale, DNR pursued it with that vision in mind, and to protect the property from any commercial development that would be inconsistent with the natural features of the surrounding state forest.
Secretary Kurtz and Maryland Park Service staff dedicated the new park during a ceremony August 21 featuring Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman and State Senate President William C. Ferguson.
Read more about Savage Highlands State Park.