While I'm sure there is excellent hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, camping - etc. - etc. - etc…read more going on here, we just came for the overlook. For years I've seen the signs, the same as everyone that traverses 68, about a scenic overlook, this time, it was finally time to see just how scenic is scenic. First off, super easy to find the overlook. Exit 64 off of 68, this applies to either direction, then it's just two right turns to the main park office. Plenty of offseason parking in winter, as you would expect, and there is good signage telling you where to go for the office, the overlook, outside seasonal restrooms and some of the nearby trails. From there it's maybe a fifty or sixty yard walk down a small sloped path to the wooden planked overlook. Kudos to the staff that even though it had just snowed the day prior, they had a small path cleared so that you could walk out on to the platform. Granted, the platform was also coated in thick ice, but that's another story. Excellent views of the forest landscape and of Fifteen Mile Creek. We didn't last long as even though it was sunny, it was still below freezing with a hell of a stiff breeze. On the way back up the trail we did stop briefly in the park office looking for a map as a souvenir/memento and while the door was open and there was a state vehicle parked outside (just our car and that one), nobody was there so we left as it felt...odd. The park itself is massive and hopefully in the future we can make the time to come back and explore more. Park website: dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/publiclands/western_greenridgeforest.aspx First picture is the Greenridge Overlook: www.mdmountainside.com/blog/post/green-ridge-state-forest-scenic-overlooks-tour/

Yelp Fam!!!! A…read moredifferent review for the start of this month. Camping is one of my favorite things in the world. Especially since I live in the city being able to have silence is few and far between. GRSF is a gem, you have the bare necessities to have a great authentic camping experience. You can register for a camp site at the self service station. Sign up for a site, pay your money, get camping. Tip*- you must take your trash with you. You can dispose of it at the rangers station Each site has : bench Fire pit Cleared area for tents/hammocks We always stop off at Belle Grove Store- They carry all the essentials and food if you need some grub. This go round we were at site 5. Truly perfect, tons of fire wood around, very quiet and peaceful. Take advantage of this beautiful state forest while the weather is nice!

Extremely nice and newer facility. You will find swimming areas, boating, fishing, golf, casino and…read morehiking trails all over. So much to do!

What a fantastic place for camping! Our kids had a blast and there was so much to experience. Great…read morewalking trails and beautiful beach/playground area. Will be back for sure!

This is a visitors center for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and it has a great location and…read moreexhibit space. It was really neat to see that it has a mini replica of the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel to access interactive exhibits and a section of a canal boat. The towpath is located nearby and we enjoyed taking a stroll on the gorgeous day to enjoy the area. To access the actual Paw Paw Tunnel, which is an amazing feat of engineering, we drove out to the Paw Paw Tunnel Campground and walked out and back from there.

Excellent educational exhibit of the history of the region and life on the canal. Call ahead as…read morethe current regime has cut funding for staffing.

A friend and I rode the Great Allegheny Trail from Myersdale, PA down to Cumberland, MD. It was a…read more33 mile ride overall, but we really enjoyed it. Now, neither of us are Lance Armstrong wanna-bes. We're old farts riding plain bikes. From Myersdale, the first 9 miles is uphill, but since it's an old railroad, it's a very gentle uphill slope. The highlight of this part of the trip was riding across the Keystone Viaduct. On our uphill leg, our average speed was 8.0 mph (from my GPS). At the end of the 9 miles uphill, we arrived at the Eastern Continental Divide. From there, it's ALL downhill all the way to Cumberland. We overheard someone else on the trail say that on the downhill side, "you don't need pedals, all you need are brakes." My GPS said our average speed during the downhill leg was 13 mph. There are a few spots along the way you could get on the trail and just do the downhill portion. We saw some families with kids doing the downhill portion, too. As an alternative, you can ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from Cumberland up to Frostburg, then ride your bikes from Frostburg 16 miles back down the hill to Cumberland. Lesson learned: We had planned to stop and have lunch in Frostburg, MD. When we arrived in Frostburg, we found there was a nice rest area for bicyclists along the side of the trail with maps of the town, park benches, bicycle racks, and port-a-potties. Unfortunately, the path goes by at the BOTTOM of the side of the hill that Frostburg is on. In order to go into town for lunch, we would have had to either bike or hike half a mile UP a steep hill. We decided not to do that. We just ate snacks that we had packed in our backpacks and continued onward to Cumberland. The scenery was beautiful. There were three long tunnels to go through. Each tunnel was either short enough it didn't need to be lit up because you could see light from either side, or had installed lighting (the Big Savage Tunnel was really long but well-lit inside). The trail is well marked with mile markers along the way so you can tell how far you are from Cumberland, MD. The trail ends right in downtown Cumberland next to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad train station and right where the C&O Canal Towpath begins. We had a great time and I would love to come back here and do the downhill portion with my kids sometime. I think we might try the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 1-way trip up to Frostburg then ride our bikes down the hill. Side note: Why do I give it 4 stars instead of 5? Only because I try to reserve my 5 star ratings for restaurants that are truly spectacular, and I don't want to inflate my average grade with a rating for a bike trail. :-)

Where to start? In a word, Awesome. In more than 1 word... This trail has something for everyone…read more(kids included); walking, running, biking, horseback riding (in most sections), to the history of the industrial revolution, trains, coke and steel. The trail is mostly compact gravel with some compact white sand areas around the Pinkerton tunnel. Urban areas are pretty much concrete or macadam. From McKeesport to Pittsburgh, the trail turns into more of an urban recreational trail with uphill and downhill sections much steeper than a normal rail trail. If you have trouble with hills and are travelling the trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland you may want to consider starting in Boston, PA. Fellow trail users and the locals in town are all friendly. We started the 150 mile journey in beautiful and historic Cumberland, MD. The 15 mile bike ride to Frostburg is on a slight uphill grade. From Frostburg to the Continental divide seems a bit more of an incline but not impossible, even for the recreational rider, and there's enough scenery to stop and see along this 10 mile stretch to give your legs a break. Don't let your dislike of riding up hills discourage you from not riding this section of the trail. Once you pass the divide, the slight downhill goes on well past Confluence. There's multiple small towns along the way, each offering opportunities for a restroom, re-fill your water bottle, get a bite to eat, get a bike repair and stay over-night. The trail is remote in few sections between towns and you will lose cell service often. Reservations in any of bed & breakfasts along the trail is highly recommended. I've biked about a half dozen trails in the past 3 years and this one is, by far, the best one I've biked to-date. I will bike this one again.

What a wonderful afternoon out in nature! The falls were beautiful and the hike was pretty easy. We…read morewere visiting some friends up in deep creek and we decided to take it outside and enjoy this beautiful day. So glad we did, it was one of the first "nice" days of spring when we attended. It was pretty crowded, but we still had no issues parking and even enjoyed the scenic drive to the park.

7/5/23. Have been coming here pretty much my whole life! My grandparent took my Mother/aunts when…read morethey were dating what became their husbands. I did the same now grandkids come!

History is worth looking at. This is an interesting spot if you're a Washington fan. Get to know…read morehis early days.

Borrowed from the below site:…read more www.mdmountainside.com/listing/george-washingtons-headquarters/2042/#:~:text=The%20Headquarters%20of%20George%20Washington,the%20United%20States%20of%20America. "The Headquarters of George Washington is a historic site, located at 38 Greene Street, in the historic downtown district of Cumberland, Maryland. The centerpiece and primary attraction at the site is a historic log cabin twice occupied by George Washington, the first President of the United States of America. The cabin resides in an area known today as Riverside Park but was originally built about 2 blocks away. The original site is located nearby at 16 Washington Street. The cabin was originally built by General Edward Braddock's men, between 1755 and 1758, for then Colonel George Washington's use during his service in the French and Indian War. He later returned and used it briefly during 1794, then as the Commander in Chief, in order to review the troops gathered to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. This site is notable, as it signifies Washington's first military command. The original site lies on a hill that overlooks Wills Creek and the Potomac River. It was once the location of Fort Cumberland (Maryland) and today, The Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Cumberland, Maryland). The headquarters was part of Fort Cumberland during the French and Indian War, and it is the only building to survive from the original Fort. Though closed to the public, the cabin has windows visitors can peer into and see historical displays and artifacts of what the cabin may have looked like including a bed, desk, and fireplace as well as a life-size wax replica of Washington." If you come here, parking in the area is somewhat tight. During our visit, Greene and Baltimore Streets were under a lot of construction so we parked two blocks away for a buck in a pay lot near Basecamp Coffee. If you're so inclined, you could also park on the other side of the creek at the visitor center and walk over the bridge to get here. We came, read the placards, took a few pictures, walked a short distance to read a few more of the placards that go under 68 but then saw a few loud locals (i.e. homeless-hobo-vagrant) and thought better of going any further. With that said, this is by no means a stop that you're going out of your way for. At best, this is a few minutes passing curiosity just to say that you saw it. If you want something more substantive about Washington's time in the general area as a British officer, the NPS site Fort Necessity is the place. Tons of stuff there that George did including surrendering to the French. www.nps.gov/fone/index.htm

Still a great campsite and State Park experience at Deep Creek. We were here this time in June, but…read moreit's been a long mild spring this year, so it's been cool and wet. There were clouds sitting on the lake for the few days we were here, very misty and Will-O-the-Wisp magical. We ended up traveling to some breweries, Swallow Falls (massive rapids with all the rain), did some local shopping and caught a movie. The camp sites weren't crowded at all and we had no problem making last minute reservations for a Sunday and Monday night.

This state park came up, as a recommendation for places close to hike from Wisp Resort. Driving…read morethrough the rental vacation homes was a scenic experience. The park itself was clean, had places to launch your boat, small beach and well marked trails. There is an entrance fee for state residents, and non state residents, which was unusual to see that type of sign posted. Worth checking out for the serene, tranquil, beauty within the park itself.

I really enjoyed walking the boardwalk and seeing the beautiful sites at this State Park especially…read morethe Falls. I also love all the information you can read about the history of the park and all it entails along the way. Want to get Out and About? Check It Out!

This stop was our two-day "play and reset" window between Acadia NP and New River Gorge NP -- a…read morequiet breather in the beautiful WV mountains. We stayed at the lodge and had breakfast there both mornings, mostly because options nearby are... well, nonexistent. Luckily the buffet was generous, the food was decent enough to fuel the day, and the views helped everything go down a little easier. Service, however, could definitely benefit from a hospitality tune-up -- a smile and a bit of warmth go a long way before coffee! That said, the park itself is lovely. We enjoyed peaceful trails surrounded by lush forest, and the falls are truly worth the trip -- dramatic and grounding. I got in a few good hikes, while my husband happily took in the waterfall views from the accessible paths, which are thoughtfully laid out and easy to navigate. In short: Beautiful park Scenic lodge views Buffet that gets the job done Service that could caffeinate their cheerfulness Perfect little nature pause before hitting our next national park.

I recently photographed a wedding at the Scenic View. The grounds are really beautiful and the…read morelookout trumps all. There's a tower up a long, winding road, but you don't even need to go up into the tower to see the gorgeous mountain view. The landscape is breathtaking, I'm sure, during any time of the day. But we went up at sunset after a storm and it was nothing short of spectacular. I cannot wait to get back to Penn's Scenic View for the view alone!

Penn's Scenic View is such a beautiful place. My large family would go up every year and rent out…read morethe Stable Lodge there. Of course, I loved being with my family. However, I loved going for walks in the area. It's such an amazing experience. Peace, quiet, utter bliss... what more could you ask for? If you walk up this dirt road, you'll encounter a wooden tower on a hill. If you walk up the tower, you can take in the breathtaking view. A full 360° of trees. It's all picture-worthy. You truly won't be disappointed. You can continue to walk around to discover new things. There's a lake next to the Lakeside Lodge. I would always see weddings take place at the lake from the Stable Lodge. It was really nice to see something like that. Unfortunately, this place is private property. You can't just walk in willy-nilly. We rented out a cabin, that's the only reason we were granted access. The place is being sold. It's up for around $1.3 million dollars. Therefore, we can't rent out the Stable Lodge anymore. The whole place is gated off. I wish I could go back up there, just one last time. It's truly amazing. That place means a lot to me. My family has been going up there since I was a baby, and I'm 17. A lot of memories are kept there. It's also the place where I found myself. I would do whatever I could to go up there just one last time. I want to share the experience with my girlfriend. I would pay that $1.3 million to go back up there. If you're lucky enough to visit the 18 acres of pure scenery, you won't be disappointed for even a second.

This is gem of a park and would be worth a stop off 68 if driving through with kids. They have two…read moreplayground areas that are well worth it. I went to the smaller one for younger kids and it was better than most of the playgrounds in Columbus. The only downside is they were missing their kid swings, hopefully they get those up soon. The toddler area is beside two Pavilions, restrooms, a place to grill, gazebo, and plenty of grass. You can park within 100 yards of the playground so you can walk to your car with your eyes on the kids. The pavilion has a charcoal grill if you need it. I didn't make it to the other side but they supposedly have a newer and better playground for a little bit older kids. They also have a few softball fields. The toddler playground has two toddler swings, two tire swings, 4-5 slides with one twisting and scary for two year olds. They also have a tunnel or two to walk through, a variety of ladders, climbing walls, monkey bars, and rings. Come here while waiting for Hey Pizza is not a bad idea. It is less than a mile from 68 so it would be quick stop and let the kids run type of place.