Maryland Panhandle - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 980

To get a sense of the unspoiled territory that first attracted these urban bluebloods, me-
ander northwest from Oakland on Herrington Manor Road to Swallow Falls State Park. In
the midst of this leafy paradise, serene Muddy Creek splashes over a rock ledge framed
by mountain laurels, maples, hickories, and rhododendrons. Trails wander along sandstone
cliffs beside the furious Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River, whose rapids—with such
kneeknockingnicknamesasTripleDrop,MeatCleaver,andDoublePencilSharpener—are
to many rafters a dream come true.
2. Deep Creek Lake State Park
Heading east on Swallow Falls Road, follow signs to Rte. 219 and then motor north to
DeepCreekLake,tuckedamongsteep,forestedslopes.Thisoutdoorwonderland—andthe
1,800-acre state park that lines its eastern shore—beckons sailors and waterskiers. Anglers
come to entice walleye, and hikers tromp along trails that wind through groves of cherries,
oaks, and sugar maples. In winter cross-country skiers glide beside the frozen lake past ice
fishermen bundled up against the cold.
Tolearnmoreaboutthepark,lake,andhistoryofthesurroundingarea,checkoutDeep
Creek Lake's Discovery Center.
3. The Cove Overlook
Passing the high-steepled church in the town of Accident, Rte. 219 comes upon a pictur-
esque pocket of farmland surrounded by the Alleghenies. Stop at The Cove Overlook to
savor the tranquillity of this fertile valley fenced in by mountain peaks. In summer and
fall the Overlook affords you an aerial view of a 10-acre corn maze at nearby Cove Run
Farms. Once reaching as high as the Alps, the Alleghenies—part of the Appalachian chain
thatstitches theeasterncoastfromQuebectoAlabama—are nowrelatively modestinsize,
softened and rounded by the elements over millions of years. The road winds north among
theseancientmountainstotheruggedsummitofKeysersRidge,whereRte.40Aveerseast
to Grantsville beneath the branches of oaks, hickories, and birches.
4. Grantsville
Chestnut-colored horses pull sleek black carriages through the streets of Grantsville, a
mountain village populated mostly by Amish and Mennonites since the 1800s. A walk
through the pleasant downtown brings you to the Casselman Hotel, a historic roadside
inn with gleaming woodwork, a fireplace in every room, and the mouthwatering aroma of
freshly baked bread wafting from the inn's onsite bakery.