Swallow Falls State Park

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend.  The weather here has been wonderful the past few days.  Although it is starting to get a little too hot for my liking.  If I could live some place that was 75 degrees year round I would.  😊

For this week’s blog post we are going to be traveling outside the wonderful state of West Virginia and we will be traveling to Garrett County in Maryland.    There is a state park that is not too far from the West Virginia Stateline called Swallow Falls State Park.  The park is located around 9 miles north of Oakland MD.  The drive from West Virginia to the park is a very lovely drive especially once you hit the Deep Creek area and drive past the lake.

The park was donated in 1906 by John and Robert Garrett of Baltimore and is 1, 917 acres, and includes the areas that became Swallow Falls and Herrington Manor state parks.  Both parks were developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  I have yet to visit the Herrington Manor state park.

 

The Muddy Creek fall located in the park is the highest free-falling waterfall in the state standing at 53 feet.  The Muddy Creek Falls are similar to the falls at Blackwater Falls State Park in WV so much so that sometimes I must look at the dates to figure out which park they are from.  The few times I have visited it is not unusual to see people swimming near or under the various falls in the park.  The Muddy Creek Falls are accessible at the top and people do walk across it when the water levels are not too high.  The park features three other falls, the Upper and Lower Swallow Falls, and the Toliver Falls. This park is also noted for its stand of old hemlock trees, some more than 300, years old and are considered the last stand of its kind in Maryland.  I would recommend you visiting this park to see these wonderful trees before they are killed out from the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid which is wrecking havoc on the Hemlock trees in the surrounding states.  The park also contains campsites, a picnic area, as well as a mile-long hiking trail around the falls, and a 5.5-mile trail for hiking and mountain biking.

 

Muddy Creek Falls

Muddy Creek Falls

Top of Muddy Creek Falls

Top of Muddy Creek Falls

Lower Swallow Falls

Lower Swallow Falls

Upper Swallow Falls

Toliver Falls

Toliver Falls

Toliver Falls

I love going to this park and walking the trail, the beauty of nature, the relaxing atmosphere and the wonderful sound of water running.  Make this the perfect place to go and unwind from a stressful week, and become one with nature again.  Spending time at each falls gives a person time to reflect and think about things in life.

 

I have only been there during the spring and I would love to get out there this fall and winter to see what kind of photos I can capture.  I love being out in nature and I love waterfalls and this place ticks off both of those for me.  So if you are ever in the area stop by and visit the park.