A Sunday dog walk in Green Ridge State Forest won't be hunter-free this year. Maryland's 2026-27 hunting calendar lists Green Ridge as one of the Allegany County public lands open to Sunday deer hunting. That covers every Sunday of archery season and both Sundays of firearms season. Rocky Gap State Park, on the other side of Flintstone, follows a different rule. Hunting there is allowed Monday through Saturday only.
So from now through mid-December, where a Flintstone walker goes depends mostly on the day. The forest behind your house has no quiet day this season. The state park down the road gets one every week.
Bear Week Is Already Underway
This post goes up on Thursday, October 29, in the middle of Maryland's six-day black bear season, which runs October 26 through 31, 2026. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources' bear hunting guide puts all of Allegany County inside the hunt zone, and that includes Green Ridge. DNR's September 3, 2026 lottery announcement says 950 entries were drawn for Zone 1, which covers Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. Another 100 were drawn for Zone 2. The guide also says the hunt has no quota, so it doesn't stop early once a harvest number is reached. It runs the full six days.
Bear season overlaps deer archery, which runs October 25 through November 27 in DNR's calendar. Bear week ends Saturday, but archery keeps going right through Sunday, November 1, and every Sunday after it.
Why Green Ridge Is a Seven-Day Forest
DNR's Green Ridge hunting page says hunting is allowed throughout the forest except in posted safety zones. That makes the whole forest one hunting area with signed exceptions. It isn't a park with a hunting section in one corner.
The Sunday piece comes from the Sunday deer hunting chart in the 2026-27 Maryland Hunting Seasons Calendar. Allegany County is marked open on private land and on designated public land. A footnote names those public lands: Billmeyer-Belle Grove WMA, Dan's Mountain WMA, Green Ridge State Forest, McCoole FMA, Sideling Hill WMA and Warrior Mountain WMA. Rocky Gap State Park isn't on that list.
Some counties in the chart limit Sunday shooting to the early morning, ending at 10:30 a.m. on certain dates. The Allegany row has no footnote like that. If you're counting on a late Sunday afternoon in Green Ridge being quieter than the morning, the calendar doesn't give you that.
The Next Six Weeks, Place by Place
Here's how the dates in DNR's calendar and park pages fall across the three public places closest to Flintstone.
| Dates in 2026 | What's open to hunters | Green Ridge State Forest | Rocky Gap State Park | C&O Canal towpath |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu–Sat, Oct 29–31 | Black bear season countywide, plus deer archery | Hunting allowed | Hunting allowed in designated areas | No hunting closure listed |
| Sundays Nov 1, 8 and 22 | Deer archery | Sunday hunting open | No hunting | No hunting closure listed |
| Sat–Sun, Nov 14–15 | Junior deer hunt days | Open, including Sunday | Saturday only | No hunting closure listed |
| Sat, Nov 28 through Sat, Dec 12 | Deer firearms season | Open all week, including Sundays Nov 29 and Dec 6 | Monday through Saturday | No hunting closure listed |
The Green Ridge and Rocky Gap columns come from DNR's Sunday chart and Rocky Gap park page. The towpath column reflects the National Park Service conditions page, covered below. In Region A, the antlerless firearms season is shorter, December 5 through 12, so the busiest stretch of the firearms window is likely its second week. The calendar doesn't end in December, either. Archery reopens December 14 through 18, and deer seasons pick up again on dates running through January 2027.
Rocky Gap Gets the Sunday
On the other six days, Rocky Gap isn't hunting-free. It sets aside 1,451 acres for general hunting, reached on foot from the Touch of Nature Trailhead parking area or from the campground and campground office lot. There's also a separate 300-acre archery-only tract between Pleasant Valley Road and I-68, with hunter parking at the amphitheater. The park page reminds hunters that recreational trails pass into the managed hunting areas. It doesn't say which of the park's trails stay outside them.
The Monday-through-Saturday rule is what matters here. That makes Rocky Gap the closest public land to Flintstone with a weekly hunting-free day all fall. Lakeside Loop, Canyon Overlook, Evitts Homesite and Touch of Nature are all on DNR's list of the park's hiking trails, and on a Sunday none of them has hunters on it. On a Tuesday in firearms season, anything near the Touch of Nature Trailhead runs along the edge of the general hunting area. Hunting areas at Rocky Gap are marked with signs, and maps are available at the ranger station.
The Towpath and the Paw Paw Tunnel
The third option runs along the river. The C&O Canal National Historical Park's current conditions page, updated October 14, 2026, lists no seasonal hunting closure of the towpath. It shows the Paw Paw Tunnel, the Tunnel Hill Trail, the Paw Paw parking lot and the campground open, and Cumberland access open too. The same page notes that towpath repairs between mile markers 156.9 and 160.1 were finished on May 26, 2026.
The park's Paw Paw Tunnel page, last updated August 8, 2026, confirms the tunnel is open and asks cyclists to dismount inside. If you've been staying away because of the older rock-scaling closure, that work wrapped up in 2023.
Having no listed closure doesn't mean you won't see a hunter. The park's 2026 Superintendent's Compendium sets rules for hunters crossing park land during state seasons. Traditional bows must be unstrung, compound bows must have their arrows un-nocked, dogs must be leashed, and legally taken, tagged game can be carried across park property. In practice, someone heading to or from neighboring land may share the towpath with you for a stretch. The flat, open towpath still feels different from a ridge trail deep in a forest that's open to hunting everywhere outside its safety zones.
Before You Head Into Green Ridge
Green Ridge is still a resource you can use. It has more than 50 miles of hiking trails, including the 50-yard wheelchair-accessible Scenic Overlook Trail, plus the 12.5-mile Green Ridge Mountain Bike Trail circuit. A few checks are worth making first:
- Call headquarters. DNR's Green Ridge page still says some roads and campsites may be temporarily closed after a recent flood and asks visitors to contact headquarters for current conditions. It doesn't say which ones. The office is at 28700 Headquarters Drive NE in Flintstone, off I-68 Exit 64 on M.V. Smith Road, and the number is 301-478-3124.
- Ask about the bike trail. DNR's recreation page doesn't give a current open or closed status for the mountain bike circuit and asks riders to confirm trail conditions with headquarters.
- Watch for safety-zone signs. They mark the parts of the forest where hunting isn't allowed.
- Keep the Sundays in mind. November 29 and December 6 fall inside firearms season, and Green Ridge is open to hunting on both.
On clothing, DNR's fluorescent orange and pink requirements apply to people who are hunting and to anyone accompanying, aiding or assisting a hunter. The page doesn't set a requirement for hikers or dog walkers. DNR's 2026-27 public hunting permit guide asks other users of public land to respect hunting that's happening around them. It also strongly encourages hunters to wear orange or pink even when they aren't required to. This post is general information, not legal advice. Season rules are DNR's to set and update, so check the linked pages or call the office before you go.
Through December 12, Rocky Gap is the Sunday option and the towpath at Paw Paw works any day of the week. Before any trip into Green Ridge, call headquarters at 301-478-3124.
I've lived and worked in this corner of Allegany County for over 20 years, and Flintstone folks plan around the land as much as the calendar. If you have questions about the area this fall, or you'd like to talk through life out by Green Ridge and Rocky Gap whenever your next move comes, I'm glad to help. Homes by Pamela Terry is always happy to hear from neighbors. Work With Pamela.
