Savage River, Monroe Pavilion Camp Out, October 11-15, 2024 

When:  October 11 – 15, Friday -Tuesday (4 nights, 5 days, Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day weekend).

Where: Big Run State Park, Monroe Pavilion, next to Savage River, Garret County, Maryland

The October Outing and Campout in Western Maryland will be from October 11 to 15, 2024. Friday (2 pm set up) thru Tuesday (1:00 pm pack up), 5 days and 4 nights.  This is one of my favorite trips.  Join us for one or all days, and fish the wonderful Savage River, North Branch of the Potomac and the many other mountain brook streams in the beautiful autumn foliage of Western Maryland.  You may camp with us or stay at other facilities or lodgings in the area, but everyone should join us for the evening campfires.

All this for just $236 split per participants ($30 mnimum – yes an increase from past years-  or Pavilion cost split however many ways we have participants and rounded up for easy cash payments).  We do need at least 5 people to sign up for the Pavilion to keep shared payment at a reasonable price. Pay Ron at the Pavilion, direct amount in cash or check, there will not be change available.  Donations are appreciated.  Cost is per participant and not the days.  Join us for as many days as you can make it.

For those interested, we also plan on meeting Ben Harris (TU program manager) on Saturday at 10:00AM for a tour of the current western Maryland TU conservation projects.

New members and new to fly fishing are welcome.  Let Ron know if you need assistance.  There will be fishermen there that can show you the rivers.

For those not interested in camping, there is lodging available in Keyser, WV (Keyser Inn) or Grantsville, MD (Casselman Inn), within 30 min to Savage River.  There is also a large hotel, Comfort Inn just off I-68 at exit 22, just before Grantsville.  In addition, there are camp sites and cabins in nearby New Germany State Park, which have toilets and showers, but generally need a month reservation for cabins.  Please, still fill out the Registration/Liability form and let us know where you are staying. Still join us for dinner and at night around the campfire for fish and ghost stories.

Fishing on the Savage and North Branch is great during the fall months.  Nights are cool and days are warm. The leaves are just starting to turn colors. There are small mountain creeks like Crabtree and Popular Lick with brookies hidden beneath rhododendron and mountain laurel.  Pocket water fishing on the lower Savage River with pools called the “PHD pool” (for the trout are too smart).  Some of those brown trout can get large on the Savage and North Branch and if you are lucky, you can catch a rainbow, brown and brook trout all on the same day. The upper Savage can resemble a mountain brook trout stream and then move to the large North Branch which can resemble a large Western style river with large brown trout.  See for details, “Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing, the Catch and Release Streams” by Charlie Gelso and Larry Coburn.

For new PPTU members or those unfamiliar with Savage River, it is difficult to have a meeting place on the river for the first day since we all arrive at different times.  I suggest checking out the “PHD pool”, at the upper cement bridge, or the Garrett and Alleghany suspension bridges, which have tight turns into small parking areas.  See for details, “Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing, the Catch and Release Streams” by Charlie Gelso and Larry Coburn.  I will try to be at the Pavilion by 4-4:30 pm to start to set-up.  Please be aware that the picnic tables in the Pavilion will need to be moved/arranged as per the Outings Coordinator’s specifications, so I do need strong members to help move heavy picnic tables.

We generally put 2-4 person size tents inside the Monroe Pavilion on the stone floor. It can hold up to 6-7 tents.  So bring an air mattress to sleep on the stone floor.  Larger tents and campers can be placed around the Pavilion.  The Pavilion has a stone fireplace for great campfires, picnic tables, and a place to gather after the days fishing to cook, make coffee, swap stories, and if it rains, we have some shelter.  Bring firewood (Local store bought wrapped bundles), which can be purchased at the New Germany Ranger station or other gas stations and convenience stores in the area (Grantsville exits).  The campsite has no running water, no fresh water at Big Run SP so you must bring your own water.  The camp is rugged and has men and lady’s dry bathrooms.  We do have access to the showers at New Germany SP (15-20-min away).  Alcohol is formally not permitted (within reason!).  In previous times we have been checked by Park Rangers looking for suspicious people, and they did not arrest us even with a few bottles of good whiskey sitting on the table.  There is electricity in the shelter which I do require for my sleep apnea CPAP machine.  No TV’s, and only Blue Grass or Appalachian music allowed!  Please bring a ghost story for the October Halloween late night campfire.  Don’t forget that the Blaire Witch, Snallygaster and Goatman live in western Maryland.  I encourage people to share their smores with me.  And if we are lucky, Jay will be talking to the hoot owl at night up in the large tree next to the Pavilion.

Bring your own food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  For breakfast I eat oatmeal (I want to be on the river early), but others have cooked bacon and eggs, etc..  Lunch is mainly cold cuts for sandwiches.  I do bring for sharing a camp stove, extra water and some pots and utensils, and a washing basin if you need to cook and clean pots.  I generally have coffee brewing in the mornings. There is a charcoal grill set-up at the Pavilion if you plan on grilling.  If you have a favorite side dish, please bring and share with us (peach pies, cobbler, potato and macaroni salads, backed beans, fruit salad, etc.).  It seems in the past, the last dinner is hotdogs cooked on the grill, with beans and we finish up all the side dishes.  But if someone would like to bring something to cook for all of us, that is appreciated, let Ron know.  In the past we have had Jay’s grandmothers famous French toast in the morning, Steve’s award-winning chili, camp stew, jambalaya and rice, and fresh elk steaks. There are also places to eat near Grantsville and Westernport, MD and Keyser, WV.

On Friday and Saturday night - bring your favorite grilling meat to cook on the charcoal grill.  Charcoal for grilling will be provided.  You can pre-cook baked potatoes and just warm in the coals.

There are no trash cans in the Park.  Please be considerate and pick up trash and no food outside at night for there are wild black bears and feral cats.  Trash will need to be stored inside cars at night and taken away by us when we leave. Thanks.

Items Needed:  MD Fishing License and Trout Stamp. 

Take into consideration all types of weather when packing gear, for this is October in the mountains.  There can be a cold frost at night and be quite warm by afternoon. Bring camping stuff like tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, flashlight, etc.  Food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and cooking utensils.  Water, toiletries, basically everything needed to sustain you for 4-5 days. I do ask people to bring local, store bought firewood for the campfire. Firewood can be bought there or buy packaged parcels at your local stores, do not bring wood from your home wood pile.

Rods:  Bring 3 to 5 wt. rods (7ft to 9ft) for either small brook trout streams or large brown trout in the lower Savage and North Branch. 

Flies:  Stop by the Savage River Outfitters on Savage River Rd, to find out what flies are active.  Typical Fall hatches contain dark to mahogany flies.  In addition, there has been talk of green drakes (#10-12) on the North Branch and upper Savage.  Savage River contains midges, mayflies and multiple caddis including the #10 October caddis.  Griffith gnat, BWO, paralep mahogany dun, Blue Quill, Adams dry and Parachutes, Slate Drake, Simple 3-hackle (Gelso and Coburn book), purple haze parachute, soft hackles, pheasant tail s.h., Leadwing Coachman s.h., peacock and brown s.h., and every kind of nymph, San Juan worm, Don Juan worm, mop fly and terrestrials.  Heck, just bring everything.

See Jay’s Maryland Fall Fly List (PPTU.org – Skills – Entomology).

Directions to Monroe Pavilion from Baltimore:

Of course, there are many different ways to get there.  This is my route.  Take I-70 West.  At Hancock I-70 splits, bear left onto I-68.  Proceed on I-68 through Cumberland, just before Grantsville, take Exit 22, turn south (left) on Chestnut Ridge Rd.  Follow and turn left at stop sign at New Germany Road. Follow past New Germany State Park and proceed on to Big Run Road (small road, be prepared).  Turn left on Big Run Road and proceed to Park entrance.  Monroe Pavilion will be on your right, a short distance before the road ends and just past the sign for Monroe Run Trail and bathrooms (GPS coordinates 39.546434, -79.143451).

Drive time from Silver Spring is about 3 hours.

Fishing Areas:

Going past Monroe Pavilion, at the end of Big Run Rd, turn right onto Savage River Rd, and follow past the reservoir and dam to lower Savage River. The first cement bridge is the “PHD pool” (GPS 39.502283, -79.123455), followed by two suspension bridges Garrett (GPS 39.501200, -79.114267) and Alleghany,  (GPS 39.501325, -79.106731) onwards to Savage River Outfitters, and after 2-4 miles downstream to the metal bridge near end of the Catch and Return fishing area and Rt 135.

Sign-Up

To sign up for this outing, please complete the Outing Registration form. People not staying at the Pavilion, please still fill out the Registration form and let us know where you are staying.

Hope to see you there. Please contact the Outings Coordinator if you have any questions.   

Lou Reichel and Ron Kerrick (240-423-8375)

Outings Coordinators

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