MD Scenic Byways - Digital Guide
Mountain Maryland
2021-08-10 22:28:51
STATE ROUTES AND COUNTRY ROADS IN FOREST AREAS
drive type
It’s a pleasant surprise that Maryland, so famous for its seashore and smooth sailing, also has a wild side characterized by rugged mountain trails and rushing river waters.
193 MILES FROM KEYSERS RIDGE TO CUMBERLAND
four seasons of outdoor pursuits — including hiking, skiing, fishing and boating — are available for anyone wishing to explore the Western Maryland countryside, from its thick forests and rambling rivers to the state’s largest freshwater lake. Pockets of history also emerge amid small towns tucked into the mountains.
Keysers Ridge to Oakland
INCLUDING I-68, MD 42 & US 219
Start at an elevation of 2,894 feet on Keysers Ridge, considered one of the most scenic peaks in Maryland, and choose between an easterly course into Grantsville — home of thousands of acres of state park and state forest land for your recreational pleasure — or head west toward Friendsville, where you can enjoy a winery tour and also get access to the scenic and wild Youghiogheny River. Whitewater rafting guides are based in the area.
Slipping south into McHenry, Wisp Resort offers winter activities like skiing, snowboarding and tubing, while warmer weather brings golfing and tree-top zipline tours. Four-season fun is provided by mountain coaster rides. Further down the road, Deep Creek Lake State Park hugs a spring-fed lake with 65 miles of shoreline and offers activities for all seasons, ranging from water skiing and boating to ice fishing and six miles of winter sports trails. The Deep Creek Discovery Center has hands-on activities and naturalist-led programs.
Visit Swallow Falls State Park to witness river waters rushing over the 53-foot Muddy Creek Falls, Maryland’s tallest free-falling waterfall. Down the road, Herrington Manor State Park offers a serene lake environment. Log cabins within the park are available year-round, or you can make your way to quaint accommodations in the nationally recognized Main Street community of Oakland. Enjoy the antiques and boutique shopping, stop for a friendly lunch-counter meal and old-fashioned milkshake, and admire the Victorian architecture of one of the most distinguished historic train depots in the country. An annual Autumn Glory Festival, complete with a small-town parade, calls attention to the colorful fall foliage, and Oakland Winterfest celebrates the best of the snowy season.
Oakland to Cumberland
INCLUDING MD 135 & MD 36
At this point, the byway branches in three directions: one route enters the Allegheny Highlands, not only connecting to the C&O Canal Towpath and other trails, but also revealing natural environments commonly found in subarctic Canada; another path heads toward Kitzmiller and the Jennings Randolph Lake mountain recreation area; a third branch provides access to fishing and hunting at the 54,000-acre Savage River State Forest.
To the north, Lonaconing has an early-19th-century iron furnace and a 2,895-foot-high scenic overlook in Dans Mountain State Park. Next, pass through Frostburg, a mountainside college town and home to a picturesque Maryland Main Street.
Entertainment opportunities within town range from museums and galleries to performing arts centers. Transportation heritage sites have links to the birth of railroading, the C&O Canal and Historic National Road. A breathtaking mountain view is found along Cumberland Narrows, a 1,000-foot gorge just west of Cumberland.
MARYLAND LORE
Lover’s Leap, a feature of Cumberland Narrows that offers views of the Allegheny Mountains, was named for a Native American legend about a jilted lover who jumped from this rocky outcropping.
TRIP TIPS: In autumn, the leaves are changing color and the weather is cooler for comfortable hiking. However, summer provides extra daylight and warmer waters for wading, rafting, and more.
BIG RUN STATE PARK
Grantsville • 301-895-5453
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/bigrun.aspx
DEEP CREEK LAKE
DISCOVER CENTER
Swanton • 301-387-7067
www.discoverycenterdcl.com
JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE
Kitzmiller • 301-387-4386
www.nab.usace.army.mil/missions/dams-recreation/jennings-randolph-lake/
LONACONING IRON
FURANCE AND PARK
Lonaconing • 301-463-6233
https://mdmountainside.com/lonaconing-ironfurnace-and-parks
SWALLOW FALLS
STATE PARK
Oakland • 301-387-6938
www.dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/swallowfalls.aspx
WISP RESORT
Deep Creek Lake
301-387-4911
www.wispresort.com
For information about amenities found along this byway, please refer to the chart on page 62.
SIDE TRIP
Potomac State Forest below Oakland is home to abundant wildlife, world-class trout fishing and a hike to the highest point in Maryland — the 3,360-foot-tall Backbone Mountain.
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