Things to Do at Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake is the largest lake in Maryland. It sits in Garrett County, the highest and westernmost corner of the state. There's a ski mountain at the north end, state parks and Appalachian forest all around, and something different to do in every season.
Guides to Deep Creek
Deep Creek Lake, Explained
Deep Creek Lake is man-made, built between 1923 and 1925 to generate hydroelectric power, and it still does. It covers about 3,900 acres and runs to 75 feet deep. The State of Maryland owns the water, the lakebed and a strip of land all the way around the shore, and most of the land behind that strip is private.
Year-round
Deep Creek Lake in Fall
Fall color in Garrett County usually peaks in mid-October, about a week ahead of the rest of Maryland, because the county is the highest ground in the state. The Autumn Glory Festival fills Oakland around the second full weekend of October, with the Grand Feature Parade on the Saturday. Festival week and the peak-foliage weekends around it are the busiest of the Deep Creek year, so book lodging and dinner early.
Fall
A Romantic Weekend at Deep Creek Lake
A romantic weekend at Deep Creek Lake means waterfalls at Swallow Falls, an afternoon on horseback or by a winery's fire pits, and dinner on the water at Dutch's at Silver Tree or Firewater. Fall and late spring suit a weekend for two best, and midweek is quieter still.
Year-round
Deep Creek Lake with a Dog
Deep Creek Lake is a good place to bring a dog. Leashed dogs are welcome on almost every state park and state forest trail around the lake, on several pontoon rentals and at two free fenced dog parks, one near each end of the lake. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, dogs stay off the state park swim beaches and out of the Swallow Falls day-use area. Cranesville Swamp doesn't allow dogs at any time of year.
Year-round
Where to Eat at Deep Creek Lake
For a special dinner at Deep Creek Lake, Loch & Laurel recommends Dutch's at Silver Tree and Firewater Kitchen and Bar, both on the water, with Mountain State Brewing for an easy night and Black Hawk for coffee. Hours change with the season, so check before you go.
Year-round
Hiking at Deep Creek Lake
Loch & Laurel recommends the Canyon Trail at Swallow Falls State Park, a mostly flat loop of a little over a mile past four waterfalls in a gorge of old-growth hemlock. Other trails near Deep Creek Lake range from the Rock Maze boulder field to the climb to Hoye-Crest, the highest point in Maryland, and a full day on Monroe Run in Savage River State Forest. The state parks charge a day-use fee year-round. The state forest trails are hunted in season, so wear blaze orange from September through January.
Year-round
Deep Creek Lake in Winter
Winter at Deep Creek is busy on ski weekends and holiday weeks around Wisp, at the north end of the lake, and quiet midweek. Herrington Manor grooms cross-country trails when the snow allows. The frozen lake is open to snowmobiles and ice fishing. There is no official ice-thickness report, so you test the ice yourself on the day you go.
Winter
On the Water at Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake State Park is the public way onto the lake, with a boat ramp, a kayak launch and swimming beaches. Around the lake you can rent a kayak or paddleboard by the hour, take a guided pontoon tour or go out with a fishing guide. On the Youghiogheny, the Lower Yough runs guided Class III/IV rafting from April to October, with no experience needed.
Summer
Outdoor Adventures at Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake fishes all year for walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike, and Garrett County's Youghiogheny and Savage Rivers have stretches set aside for catch-and-release and trophy trout. The county's state forests and wildlife management areas are open to public hunting, with Sunday deer hunting on designated lands. Mountain bikers ride purpose-built singletrack at Margraff Plantation, Herrington Manor and Fork Run, and off-road riders head for Wolf Den Run State Park and the St. John's Rock ORV Trail.
Year-round
Deep Creek Lake in the Rain
On a rainy day at Deep Creek Lake, Loch & Laurel recommends free live glassblowing at Simon Pearce in Mountain Lake Park, near Oakland. Around the lake there are golf simulators, a movie theater, a bowling alley, a bookshop and two small museums. East in Cumberland, a scenic railroad, the Allegany Museum and the C&O Canal visitor center make a full day out.
Year-round
A Working Week at Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake is a good place to work for a week, in any season. Every Loch & Laurel stay is set up for work, with fast internet, privacy, and your dog stays free. Between calls there are trails for a morning or lunch-hour walk with the dog, a paddle at midday in summer, a brewery patio at sunset and, in winter, night skiing at Wisp.
Year-round
Day Trips from Deep Creek Lake
Loch & Laurel recommends Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's house over a waterfall in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands, as the day trip to make from Deep Creek Lake. The lake sits close to where Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia meet, so there are good days out in all three states. There's a scenic railroad out of Cumberland, Blackwater Falls and the old coal town of Thomas in West Virginia, and the high plateau at Dolly Sods, which opens in spring.
Year-round
How far is everything
Approximate drive times from the McHenry area, at the north end of the lake.
Mountain State Brewing
Drive time: 2 min
Wood-fired flatbread, their own beer, and a dog-friendly patio.
Wildom Farm
Drive time: 2 min
Pasture-raised meat and eggs from the farm store, and farm dinners at a long table out in the field.
Wisp Resort
Drive time: 5 min
Skiing in winter, and a scenic chairlift that runs spring through late October.
Deep Creek Marina
Drive time: 5 min
Boat rentals on the lake through the warmer half of the year.
Honi Honi Bar and UNO Pizzeria & Grill
Drive time: 10 min
A lakeside bar with a beer garden and a big deck, at its liveliest in summer.
Cranesville Swamp Preserve
Drive time: 18 min
A boreal bog on the West Virginia line, cared for by The Nature Conservancy. A boardwalk runs out across it.
Deep Creek Lake State Park
Drive time: 18 min
On the lake's northeast shore, below Meadow Mountain, with a beach, a boat launch and trails up the mountain.
Herrington Manor State Park
Drive time: 20 min
A small lake with a swimming beach, and cross-country ski trails once snow comes.
Swallow Falls State Park
Drive time: 20 min
Four waterfalls on a loop of a little over a mile through old-growth hemlock, including 53-foot Muddy Creek Falls.
Oakland
Drive time: 25 min
The county seat at the south end of the lake, with Victorian streets, the old B&O station, and Autumn Glory each October.
New Germany State Park
Drive time: 30 min
A state park east of the lake, with a small lake of its own and miles of forest trail.
Common questions
- Where is Deep Creek Lake?
- Deep Creek Lake is in Garrett County, in the far west of Maryland, near the West Virginia and Pennsylvania lines. It is the largest lake in the state. McHenry is at the north end of the lake, beside Wisp Resort, and Oakland is twenty-five minutes south.
- How far is Deep Creek Lake from Washington, Baltimore or Pittsburgh?
- About three hours from Washington and Baltimore, and about two from Pittsburgh. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have the evening.
- When is the best time to visit Deep Creek Lake?
- Any season, depending on what you come for. Fall color peaks in mid-October, usually the same week as the Autumn Glory Festival. Winter is ski season at Wisp, and summer is for the lake. Spring is the quietest time of year, and the easiest to book.
- Do you need a car at Deep Creek Lake?
- Yes. The lake is about 13 miles long, with the parks, restaurants and ski slopes spread along it, so you will drive to most things. The "How far is everything" table on this page gives drive times from McHenry.
- How far is everything from Deep Creek Lake?
- Measuring from McHenry, at the north end of the lake: Wisp Resort and the marina are about five minutes, Honi Honi Bar about ten, Deep Creek Lake State Park and Cranesville Swamp about eighteen, and Swallow Falls State Park and Herrington Manor about twenty. Oakland, the county seat at the south end, is about twenty-five minutes, and New Germany State Park about thirty. Farther afield, Cumberland and Morgantown are each roughly an hour.
- Is Deep Creek Lake dog friendly?
- Yes, with a few limits, like the Swallow Falls day-use area and the state park swim beaches, where dogs aren't allowed from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Cranesville Swamp doesn't allow dogs at all. The dog guide has the details.
Where to stay
All of Deep Creek by day, and a cabin for two by night.
Nightwood is a luxury cabin, thoughtfully designed for couples, on two wooded acres at the north end of the lake. Whatever the day held, it ends in the hot tub beneath the deck and the loft above a wall of windows. Your dog stays free.
See Nightwood