The Mountains of Western Maryland

It's worth knowing what corner of the world you've walked into, because it surprises people that Maryland has country like this at all. You're way out in the state's far western tip, up on the Allegheny plateau, the highest, coldest, snowiest part of Maryland — a land of mountains and hemlock gorges that feels more like New England or West Virginia than the Chesapeake most folks picture.

And just a few miles east of these falls lies the crown jewel of the region: Deep Creek Lake, the largest lake in all of Maryland. It's not natural — it was made back in the nineteen twenties, when they dammed Deep Creek for hydroelectric power and flooded the valley — but it's grown into the great playground of these mountains, ringed with cabins and boats and, come October, some of the finest fall color anywhere. Falls, forest, and a mountain lake, all in one small county.