Deep Creek Lake

McHenry, MD

Maryland's largest freshwater lake sits in the Allegheny Mountains - 65 miles of forested shoreline and mountain reflections make this a four-season photography destination.

Photography Guide

Best Time: golden hour
Crowds: Moderate
Shot Types: landscapereflectionwide
Best Seasons: fallsummer

Practical Tips

Fall foliage reflections in October are breathtaking. Rent a kayak to get to quiet coves. Dawn fog on the lake surface is common in September.

Gallery

Nearby Places

Parks & Nature

Oakland, MD

Swallow Falls State Park

Western Maryland's crown jewel - a 1.5-mile loop through old-growth hemlocks connects four waterfalls including Muddy Creek Falls, Maryland's highest free-falling waterfall.

anyspring · fall

Overlooks

Davis, WV

Dolly Sods Wilderness

A high plateau wilderness of wind-sculpted red spruce, heath barrens, and rocky outcrops at 4,000 feet - the closest thing to a Canadian boreal landscape in the mid-Atlantic, with expansive sky and wildly exposed terrain.

sunrisefall · summer

Photogenic

Davis, WV

Blackwater Falls State Park

The amber-colored Blackwater River plunges 57 feet over a sandstone ledge in a hemlock and red spruce canyon that feels like the Deep North - the tannin-darkened water, misty canyon, and fall foliage create some of the most dramatic waterfall photography in the East.

morningfall · winter