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Sang Run State Park in western Maryland is short stop for some quick history- but if you plan to hike, look out for the ticks!
Location and History
Tucked along the Youghiogheny River in McHenry, Maryland, you’ll find Sang Run State Park. It lies about 2 hours south of Pittsburgh and around 10 miles from Deep Creek Lake.
As far as state parks go, Sang Run comes in small at just over 250 acres. In comparison, nearby Deep Creek Lake State Park covers over 1,800 acres.
The area was a homestead during the 1800s, and it became a state park in 2017.
You’ll find a home, the Historic Friends Store, garden area, Election House, and private cemetary on the grounds of the park.
The Historic Friends store used to be a general store for the area and was later used as a Post Office. The Election House was established in 1872 and last accepted ballots for the 1972 election.
You’ll also find ticks. MANY MANY ticks.
But we’ll get back to that in a minute…
Trails
Sang Run State Park has 2.5 miles of trails set up in a loop with a few extensions:
From the parking lot, you can walk over to the Historic Friends Store.
The store wasn’t open the day we visited, but Russ and Franklin checked the door to make sure!
Don’t forget- especially in the fall months- to wear your hunter orange in state parks! Some parks are open for hunting, and some are adjacent to state forests that are open for hunting.
From there, we went left past the small gardens to the Bluebird Trail (blue on the map above).
The trail is clearly marked, but you can easily see your way along the cut out path meandering through a large field.
Hazel is not in her hunter orange jacket (too warm for dog jackets that day)- she instead opted for her purple Voyager vest…
We looped onto Grosbeak Grove Trail (yellow above) and met Bluebird again.
We passed Hawthorn Hideaway Trail (red above), where many new trees are being cultivated.
From the next part of Bluebird Trail, there are many scenic vistas where you can take in the seasonal view. Ours was of “late fall”.
You’ll pass the private cemetary at the top of Bluebird Trail and can continue downhill to finish the loop.
This was right about the time we noticed MANY MANY ticks crawling all over Franklin and Hazel.
I don’t mean a few here and there…
I mean 5 on Franklin’s face, 20 all over his paws, and some just strolling around his back. Hazel was not quite as polluted, but still not good.
And they just kept crawling out of their fur for the next 20 minutes!
Make sure you read our post about ticks and tick prevention – it should prepare you!
When you’ve cleared you and your dogs of ticks from the trails, the Election House is just a short walk down the road towards the river.
The Election House was restored in 2020 for a good reason. 25 presidential elections were held inside, so it holds a special place in local history!
River Access
If you drive a few minutes past the Election House, you’ll find the access point for whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny River on your left.
This river access is for Class V rapids, so don’t plan on any leisurely kayaking or canoeing here!
We were visiting during mid-Autumn, so most of the leaves were gone.
And after the dry summer, so were most of the rapids!
The banks must also be frequented by fishermen, because we saw this sign posted about an invasive species of catfish:
Franklin was on the lookout, but he didn’t spot any this time!
Last Word
If you are looking for a full day trip, Sang Run State Park isn’t your best bet.
But if you are driving through this area on your way to somewhere else, it could be a great place to stop and stretch your legs.
We did not see a single other person on our adventure at Sang Run State Park- so this may be a good walk for reactive dogs.
And lastly, we would definitely recommend being up-to-date with your tick protection before visiting!
