Throughout much of this mountain-ous, Western Maryland byway, thesweetest sound you’ll hear just mightbe the silence. It’s a stillness thatallows you to listen more closely forlight breezes tickling autumn leaves,birdsongs echoing along forest trails,and ripples of lake water lappingagainst gently rocking rowboats.

Take your time meandering throughpeaceful glades, valleys and marsh-lands, finally emerging from thick for-est areas to find the shore ofMaryland’s largest freshwater lake. Beprepared for hiking, biking, skiing,boating and all kinds of other out-door adventures. But along with fourseasons of outdoor pursuits, thisbyway also offers a little history. You’llbe visiting mid-19th-century coal min-ing villages, as well as mill towns

owing their growth to the C&O Canaland B&O Railroad.

Keyser’s Ridge to Deep CreekLake State Park – I-68, MD 42,US 219Start your tour in Keyser’s Ridge andfollow I-68 across the EasternContinental Divide. To the west isFriendsville, home of a family-runwinery and the Youghiogheny RiverLake, a popular spot for boating, fish-ing and paddling. The river itself runsfor about 135 miles through threestates, delivering frequent drops ofmore than 100 feet per mile. A sec-tion between Miller’s Run andFriendsville is Maryland’s first Scenicand Wild River, with white-water raft-ing guides conveniently located alongthe way. Learn more at theYoughiogheny Overlook Welcome

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193 miles fromKeyser’s Ridge to

Cumberland

Throughout much of this mountainous,

Western Maryland byway,the sweetest sound you’ll

hear just might be the silence.

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Center on I-68 East just outsideFriendsville.

Slipping southward on MD 42 to US219, the rustic village of McHenry iswhere you’ll find Wisp MountainResort. Winter activities include ski-ing, snowboarding and tubing, whilewarm-weather fun ranges from golfto mountain biking. Nearby, DeepCreek Lake State Park hugs the state’slargest freshwater lake, formed by adam that was completed in 1925.The park offers a variety of wateractivities and six miles of trails forwinter sports enthusiasts. State ParkRoad follows the 3,900-acre lake’seastern shore and gets you to theDiscovery Center, where a children’sinteractive room is one part of a6,000-square-foot educational experi-ence. Glendale Road takes you overto the western shore of the lake,

bringing you back to US 219.

Deep Creek Lake to Oakland –US 219, Mayhew Inn Rd,Swallows Fall Rd, HerringtonManor RdFollow Mayhew Inn Road through theHammell Glade Swamp and on toSwallow Falls Road. Here, theYoughiogheny River flows throughshaded, rocky gorges along the bor-der of Swallow Falls State Park, whichis part of the greater Garrett StateForest.

Take a northwesterly sidetrack onCranesville Road to the CranesvilleSubartic Swamp, a patch of forestand high-mountain bog where manyplant and animal species remain asrelics of an earlier era. A boardwalkcrosses the swamp so you can enjoycloser looks at an ecosystem more

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common in northern climates.

Continue your outdoor explorationsat Swallow Falls State Park where apopular hiking trail leads to the 51-foot Muddy Creek Falls, largest offour falls within the park. Anothertrail leads back from the riverbankthrough a virgin stand of white pineand hemlock.

Then explore a 53-acre lake and morethan 21 miles of wooded trails atHerrington Manor State Park. Twentylog cabins within the park are avail-able year-round for renting, or youcan make your way to quaint accom-modations in the nearby town ofOakland. A nationally recognizedMain Street Community, Oakland isnoted for its seamless blend of pastand present. From the Garrett CountyCourthouse, which sits on a hill

above the city, you can look out overa museum, a community theater,unique boutiques and antiquesstores. Oakland’s Historic B&O TrainStation, dating to 1884, is not onlyconsidered one of the most distin-guished historic depots in the coun-try, but also houses shops featuringbaked goods, maple syrup and theworks of local artisans.

Oakland to Cumberland – MD 135 & 36Wrap around to MD 135, headingeast through Mountain Lake Park andDeer Park to the Potomac StateForest. A sidetrack along MD 560takes you past picturesque valleys andremote trout streams, and then youcan park beside the Lostland Run Trailand hike 3.5 miles down to the 100-foot Cascade Falls.

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At this point on the byway, threebranches promise many more scenicdiscoveries for nature enthusiasts:

• Branch north on MD 495 throughthe ancient bogs and swamp areasof the Allegany Highlands. Hikingand biking trails not only connectwith the C&O Canal towpath, butalso follow the route of theWestern Maryland Railroad formore than 200 miles betweenCumberland and the Pennsylvanialine.

• A quick detour on MD 38 bringsyou to the remote town ofKitzmiller. Developed as a millingcenter, it became key to the miningindustry and the transport of coalvia the railroad. Nearby is JenningsRandolph Lake, a mountainousrecreation area with boating, sail-ing, scuba diving, ice fishing, andcamping.

• Following Savage River Road duenorth, you come to the 54,000-acreSavage River State Forest. Shadedtrails stay cool on even the warmestsummer days, and anglers enjoywading into the nationallyacclaimed river to coax brook, rain-bow and brown trout out of deepholes shadowed by large boulders.A 350-acre reservoir provides crys-tal-clear mountain water for boat-ing and fishing. Below the dam,white-water rapids attract the mostexperienced paddlers.

Back on MD 135, follow a steep pas-sage and descent from the top ofBackbone Mountain, which at 3,360feet above sea level, is the highestpoint in the state. Next, you hookinto MD 36 and climb toward thetown of Lonaconing, which is anIndian name roughly translated as“the meeting place of many waters.”

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Developed in 1835 by the GeorgesCreek Coal and Iron Company,Lonaconing contains dozens of 19th-and early 20th-century buildings, andwithin a park in the center of town isa historic iron furnace.

Continue north on MD 36 throughthe mining village of Midland andalong the valley floor between DansMountain and the Big Savage moun-tain range. Dans Mountain has a2,895-foot-high scenic overlook,accessible via MD 55 and affordingviews of the Georges Creek Valley tothe west and the Potomac Valley tothe east. In Frostburg, which wasonce known as the capital of the coalregion, travelers can jump to theHistoric National Road (page 7) orcontinue on toward Mount Savage,where in 1844 a rolling mill producedthe first solid railroad tracks made in

the United States. One last stop onthis tour is Cumberland Narrows, a1,000-foot gorge between Wills andHaystack mountains, which linksback into the Historic National Roadin Cumberland.

OLD LINE LORE: Nearly 2,000acres of Garrett State Forest were donat-ed by the Garrett brothers, John andRobert, in 1906, marking the beginningof Maryland’s public lands system. A cen-tury later, about 200,000 acres of stateforestland exist.

Cranesville Subarctic SwampCranesville Rd & Lake Ford RdOakland, 21550301-387-4386www.garrettchamber.com

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Deep Creek Lake State Park898 State Park RdSwanton, 21561301-387-4111www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/deepcreeklake.html

Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center898 State Park RdSwanton, 21561301-387-7067www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/dicovery.html

Herrington Manor State Park222 Herrington LnOakland, 21550301-334-9180www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/westren/herringtonmanor.html

Historic B&O Train Station117 E. Liberty StOakland, 21550

301-334-2691www.oaklandmd.com

Lonaconing Iron Furnace and ParkRt 36, Main StLonaconing, 21539301-463-6233www.mdmountainside.com

Mount Savage Museum Bank, Jailand Mining BuildingMain StreetMount Savage, 21545301-264-9916www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org

Potomac State Forest222 Herrington LnOakland, 21550301-334-2038www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/potomacforest.html

Savage River State Forest127 Headquarters LnGrantsville, 21536301-895-5759www.dnr.state.md.us

Swallow Falls State Park222 Herrington LnOakland, 21550301-334-9180www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/swallowfalls.html

Wisp Mountain Resort296 Marsh Hill RdDeep Creek Lake, 21541301-387-4911www.wispresort.com

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