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.
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Past the county line
Deep Creek Lake is close to where Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia meet, and the good places carry on into all three. Most of them are seasonal. Check before you go.
A day in Wright country
Give Fallingwater a whole day. Book the house tour, then make Kentuck Knob the second stop, since it takes walk-ins. Or spend the afternoon at the falls at Ohiopyle, on the same road. Polymath Park is farther on, with tours of its Wright houses.
Cumberland by train
Cumberland has a scenic railroad, the Allegany Museum and the C&O Canal visitor center. The train climbs to Frostburg and back, and the layover is long enough for lunch in town. On a day without the train, walk a stretch of the towpath from Mile 0 with the dog.
Across the West Virginia line
Blackwater Falls, Davis and Thomas sit close together, so they make one day in any season. In winter the falls ice over and White Grass opens its Nordic trails once the snow is down. End the day in Thomas, with music at the Purple Fiddle. Cathedral State Park’s old hemlocks make a short stop on a Blackwater Falls day.
Days of their own
Dolly Sods takes a full day, once the roads open in spring. Morgantown makes an easy evening out, with dinner downtown. Flight 93 National Memorial is a trip of its own, and a quiet one.
Beyond Garrett County
The Wright houses, in Pennsylvania
Frank Lloyd Wright's 1935 house, built out over a waterfall, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It opens seasonally. Tours sell out in July, August and October, so book four to six weeks ahead for those months. The In-Depth Guided Tour is the one that allows photos inside. Leashed dogs can come as far as the parking lot.
- For couples
The second Wright house in the Laurel Highlands, smaller and more domestic, with a sculpture walk of more than 30 works along about a mile of uneven ground. It takes walk-ins as space allows. No photos inside. It's open seasonally, and only service animals are allowed.
- For couples
Farther into the Laurel Highlands, two Wright houses, Mantyla and Duncan House, were moved here and stand alongside two more by a Wright apprentice. You can tour them or join the lunch tour. It's open seasonally.
- For couples
Cumberland and the train, east on I-68
The Frostburg Flyer runs 16 miles each way between Cumberland and Frostburg, with an hour-and-a-half layover before the return, about four and a half hours in all. It runs May through October, with coach, dome, lunch and 21-and-over lounge cars. Some trains run behind steam and some behind diesel, so if steam matters to you, ask when you book.
- For couples
- Rainy day
Cumberland is Mile 0 of the C&O Canal towpath, the western end of 184.5 flat, free miles to Georgetown. The Great Allegheny Passage arrives here from Pittsburgh, and together they make one trail of about 334 miles between the two cities. Dogs are welcome the whole way.
- For couples
- Dog friendly
An old Main Street, lined with buildings from the 1870s to the 1910s, and an arts district downtown. The Princess Restaurant is still serving on Main Street. The Great Allegheny Passage runs through town toward the Big Savage Tunnel, which closes every year from December 1 to April 1, so plan winter rides around it.
- For couples
Blackwater Falls and Thomas, in West Virginia
Seeing the falls up close means a descent of about 320 feet, and the climb back up. The park is open all year, and in winter the falls often freeze over completely.
- For couples
- Winter
An old coal town with its character intact. The Purple Fiddle is a café, bar and live-music room, and Mountain State Brewing's original taproom is here too.
- For couples
At 3,520 feet, the highest town in West Virginia. White Grass Ski Touring Center, just outside town, keeps more than 50 kilometers of Nordic trail.
- For couples
- Winter
Days of their own, and side trips
Falls and gorge overlooks on the Youghiogheny, the Great Allegheny Passage running straight through, and a small village at the park gate. It's open all year, on the same Route 381 corridor as Fallingwater. The whitewater outfitters based here are in the water guide.
- For couples
- Winter
A high plateau between 2,500 and 4,700 feet, with stunted red spruce, wind-carved rock and bogs. It looks like nowhere else in the region. Bear Rocks Preserve is the easiest way in. It's free, with a three-quarter-mile accessible loop. The plateau was a WWII artillery range, so stay on the marked trails. The access roads open in spring, FR 19 on April 1 and FR 75 on April 15, both "when snow free."
- For couples
A college town across the West Virginia line. For dinner downtown there's the Iron Horse Tavern and Table 9. The PRT, the university's driverless people-mover, is a fun ride.
- For couples
Free and open all year, on reclaimed strip-mine ground. The visitor center and the landscape around it are simple and quiet. It's a solemn place.
- For couples
- Rainy day
West Virginia's largest remnant of old-growth forest, with virgin hemlock up to 90 feet tall. Walking it takes 30 to 45 minutes.
- For couples
Common questions
- How do you get to Fallingwater from Deep Creek Lake?
- Fallingwater's own site gives the route: I-68 exit 14, Route 40 to Farmington, then Route 381 north into Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. Give it a full day. The house opens seasonally and tours sell out in summer and October, so book your tour before you settle on a date.
- Can you do Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in one day?
- Yes, and they make a good pair. Fallingwater takes about two hours to see, and tours for July, August and October need booking four to six weeks ahead. Kentuck Knob takes walk-ins as space allows, so it slots in easily as the second stop. With both tours and lunch, that's a full, unhurried day.
- What are the best day trips from Deep Creek Lake?
- Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands, make a day around two Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Blackwater Falls, Thomas and Davis, across the West Virginia line, make a good day trip in any season. Cumberland and Frostburg, east on I-68, pair a scenic railroad with the start of the C&O Canal towpath.
- Is the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad worth it?
- Yes, for the ride and the towns. The Frostburg Flyer covers 16 miles each way with an hour-and-a-half layover in Frostburg, about four and a half hours round trip, from May through October. If you're going for the steam engine, ask which engine is running when you book.
- Can you drive to Dolly Sods?
- Yes, once the gates open in spring. FR 19 opens April 1 and FR 75 opens April 15, "when snow free" in the Forest Service's own words, so it's a trip for late spring through fall. The access road is gravel and reportedly rough, so take the last stretch slowly and give it a full day.
- What's the best day trip from Deep Creek Lake in winter?
- Blackwater Falls, Thomas and Davis, or Ohiopyle. All of them are open all year. In the West Virginia cluster, Blackwater Falls often freezes over completely and Davis has Nordic skiing at White Grass. The Wright houses cut back their schedules in winter, and the roads into Dolly Sods stay gated until at least April 1.
Where to stay
Explore all day, then come home to a cabin for two.
Nightwood is a luxury cabin, thoughtfully designed for couples, on two wooded acres at the north end of the lake. After a long day out, the hot tub beneath the deck and the loft above a wall of windows are waiting. Your dog stays free.
See Nightwood