Summer at Deep Creek Lake Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Deep Creek Lake offers a variety of summer recreational activities for the active family as well as a quiet and serene setting for those of you who want to just loll by the waterside and relax. The lake also hosts a number of festivals and events that will entertain everyone. Water sports are favorite pastimes on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland's largest freshwater lake. Both power boating and sailing are popular. Powerboats are available for rent at local marinas. The sailboat regattas on the southern end of the lake are a beautiful spectacle to behold and an exciting event to participate in. Boating, water-skiing, jet skiing and swimming abound during the warm summer months. Fishing is also excellent on the lake as well as in the numerous streams found within Garrett County. If you never have tried whitewater rafting, a day of excitement and beautiful scenery is awaiting you. Whitewater rafting has become an exciting attraction whether you prefer the gentle waters of the Middle Youghiogheny or the challenging rapids of the Upper Yough. Also available is the newly opened (2007) White Water Adventure which is the largest recirculating white water raft course in the world! Garrett County provides miles of bike trails through state parks and surrounding countryside. We have something for everyone regardless of your expertise. Bicycle rentals are available at local bike shops. Escaping to the beautiful scenery of the state parks with miles of marked trails offers an afternoon of fun for the entire family. Take a picnic lunch along and spend the day enjoying the serene setting of the woodland or the timberlined trails at the state parks. At Swallow Falls, you can hike along the banks of two rivers that converge into one and experience the beauty of Tolliver Falls and Maryland's largest waterfall, Muddy Creek Falls. The various state parks also offer sandy beaches for swimming and rowboats and paddle boat rentals. Several area companies offer guide services for hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking. Both educational and fun, these trips are great photo opportunities and can be customized to meet your group's needs. Three miniature golf courses, arcades, go-kart racing, batting cages and much much more are available for hours of fun for folks of all ages. The area also boasts two championship golf courses. The beautiful scenery and the cooler temperatures of the mountains are perfect accompaniments to these challenging courses. Public tennis courts are available at various locations in the county. Besides all these recreational activities, there are sites such as the Cranesville Sub-Arctic Swamp and Backbone Mountain and numerous events scheduled to entertain you. These include the McHenry Highland Festival, the Garrett County Fair, the annual 4th of July celebration, Summerfest and Quilt Show, and many more. Fall at Deep Creek Lake  For many visitors to Deep Creek Lake, the fall offers a charm of its own. The pace and excitement of the summer has slowed, the countryside takes on a majestic display of blazing color, and there is a crispness in the morning air. Both power boating and sailing continue to offer good times. What better way to view the fall foliage than by water! Some say that the fall is the best time for fishing. Early each morning, you'll find ardent fishermen in search of that one that got away. Exploring the leaf bright trails by horseback is a relaxing but exciting way to spend an autumn day. With 74,000 acres of state forests, hiking and mountain biking are other ways to view the bountiful fall scenery. State parks have guided hiking tours and fall color hayrides as well as many other activities. Local nature tourism vendors offer a variety of outdoor activities that include: overnight backpack trips, wild land hikes, family float trips, bonfires, etc. For more information on these and other activities visit www.dnr.state.md.us/outdooradventures. Hunting, of course, has always been a popular sport in Garrett County. The state of Maryland maintains over 80,000 acres of public hunting lands. Deer hunting, turkey season and small game hunting are all available in the fall. Check out one of the local sporting stores for licenses and supplies. A favorite event for all Deep Creek visitors is the annual Autumn Glory Festival held in mid October in nearby Oakland. Three days are pumped full of such fun filled activities as Maryland State Banjo and Fiddle Championships, parades, Octoberfests, pancake breakfasts, arts and crafts, antiques, a wide variety of foods, and much, much more.  The area offers a number of wonderful gift shops as well as areas displaying artisans at work and their handcrafted wares. Spruce Forest Artisan Village in Grantsville schedules demonstrations by local artisans and displays a wonderful selection of gifts. Check for scheduled events. Once you've experienced the beauty and serenity of fall which encompasses Deep Creek Lake, you'll return again and again to view Mother Nature's blazing display of color. Winter at Deep Creek Lake In winter, the abundant woodland of Deep Creek Lake is transformed by the sculptural majesty of Mother Nature. Visitors proclaim that the area takes on the imagery of a fantasyland. Both hiking and cross-country skiing allow you to enjoy this winter wonderland firsthand. The state parks offer miles of trails both cleared and primitive for hikers and cross country enthusiasts. Six miles of maintained trails and an equal amount of primitive trails are available at Herrington Manor. Deep Creek and Swallow Falls State Parks also provide marked hiking trails that can be used by cross-country skiers. New Germany provides cleared and maintained trails as well as a snow cleared parking lot. The annual Kick and Glide Cross Country Ski Race takes place at Herrington Manor State Park in January and other races are held in February at New Germany State Park. Rentals are available at local sports stores and at Herrington Manor. Downhill skiing and snowboarding are available at Wisp Ski Resort. With a vertical drop of 700' and 32 trails available, skiers of all levels of experience will enjoy a wide range of terrain . 90% of the trails are lighted for night skiing and are supported by Wisp's extensive snow making equipment. Two quad chairlifts, five triple chairlifts plus two ski carpets and four handle tows can handle an uphill capacity of over 9,000 skiers per hour. Ski lessons and a children's center are available as well as a variety of restaurants. Bear Claw Snow Tubing Park offers fun for all ages. If you enjoy sledding, you'll love snow tubing. The tubing park features 9 tube shoots, 300 rental tubes, and a rope tow to take you up to the top.  Dogsledding tours have become the new excitement in Deep Creek Lake. With two different companies to choose from, Yellow Snow and Husky Power, they do a range of activities with the tours from short runs at the Discovery Center to long Adventure tours packed full with fun. January and February find many devoted fishermen taking to the ice. Ice fishing is becoming more popular. Yellow perch, walleye, northern perch and trout are just a few of the catches. Snowmobiling is an exciting and popular winter sport. With the large amount of snowfall each year, Deep Creek offers a great setting for this fun filled sport. 35 miles of trails are available in the state forests. Local nature tourism vendors offer snowmobile tours during January and February. An annual permit is required for each machine that will be operating on public lands. Please contact any Maryland State Park for this permit and regulations. In March, the state parks also offer demonstrations on the production of maple syrup and even maple syrup pancake breakfasts. While some visitors enjoy these exciting and thrilling activities, others retreat to Deep Creek to experience the peace and serenity. Imagine curling up in an overstuffed chair with a good book, playing board games by the fire, or listening to your favorite music as the snow falls just outside. Whatever is your desire, you will marvel at the winter beauty of Deep Creek Lake. Springtime at Deep Creek Lake Spring is a great time to visit Deep Creek Lake. The days are longer, and the weather is warmer. In early spring, there is still the need for a glowing fire to ward off the chill of the evening air. The visiting population has lessened but the restaurants and shops are open for business and welcome you. Exploring the countryside is a perfect way to spend the afternoon. The Cranesville Sub-Arctic Swamp is a wonder of Mother Nature. These 500 acres of boreal forests were formed during the Ice Age and offer rare species of plant and animal life normally indigenous only to the arctic regions. The swamp is a bog. Please use the boardwalk to protect the ground cover. Early spring is also the time for sugaring or the making of maple syrup. Many groves of maple trees can still be found in Garrett County. Brenneman's Grove which is just outside of Bittinger is one of the most beautiful. Maple syrup products are available for sale at local stores. The Casselman River Bridge is a beautiful site for a picnic lunch as well as a credit to early engineering design. It was built in 1813 and was the largest single-span stone arch bridge in the United States at the time. The bridge was part of the National Pike and provided a link between Cumberland, MD and Wheeling, WV. It was used for travel until 1953 when it was closed to traffic. Friendsville was founded by John Friend Sr. in 1765 when he purchased the land from the Indians. This was the first settlement in Garrett County. The historic town of Oakland is only a short distance from Deep Creek Lake and is the site of many interesting buildings and noteworthy events. The Garrett County Historical Museum features artifacts significant to the area. Included in the collections is a wonderful Indian artifact display dating back to the Archaic Period of Indian Culture. The Mountain Fresh Tailgate Market located at the town parking lot is open on Wednesday and Saturday during the summer. Take in one of the fine plays at Our Town Theater featuring local talent. These are but a few of the interesting places to visit around the Deep Creek area. The various state parks host an Easter Egg Hunt and spring wild flower/bird walks in April and May. As the weather warms, the forests begin to come alive again and these guided tours feature the awakening beauty of Lostland Run in Potomac-Garrett State Forest. Mid May finds everyone flocking to Grantsville for the National Pike Festival that includes music, a wagon train, story telling, demonstrations and displays of the wares of local artisans and craftsmen. The annual McHenry Highland Festival brings the Scotch out in everyone. Traditional Scottish dancers and bagpipe bands are featured. Scottish food and shops as well a sheepdog demonstrations and bagpipe contests will entertain you. The Festival is held in early June at the McHenry Fairgrounds. The docks are back in the water and the lake becomes active again with fishermen and boaters. Horseback riding and mountain biking are again popular past times. Spring is a perfect time to explore the 80,000 acres of public lands or to seek out those enticing sites in Garrett County. To find out more about specific parks and to view maps visit: www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands.http://www.dnr.state.md.us/outdooradventureshttp://www.skiwisp.com/http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclandsshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6