Deep Creek Lake State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deep Creek Lake State Park |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 Deep Creek Lake State Park
Location in Maryland
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| Location | Garrett County, Maryland, United States |
| Nearest city | Frostburg, Maryland |
| Area | 1,169 acres (4.73 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,461 ft (750 m) |
| Designation | Maryland state park |
| Established | 1959 |
| Administrator | Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
| Website | Deep Creek Lake State Park |
Deep Creek Lake State Park is a fun outdoor spot in Garrett County, Maryland. It covers over 1,100 acres on the northeast side of Deep Creek Lake. This park is a great place for water sports, camping, and exploring nature trails. You can find it about 18 miles south of Interstate 68 on U.S. Route 219.
Contents
Park History: How Deep Creek Lake Was Made
People started settling in this area in the 1700s. Later, in the 1900s, huge logging companies cut down most of the original trees. The forest you see today, with its oak and hickory trees, grew back after those logging operations.
Deep Creek Lake itself is a man-made reservoir. A reservoir is like a big lake created by building a dam. The Pennsylvania Electric Company finished building the Deep Creek Dam in 1925. This dam created the lake on a small river that flows into the Youghiogheny River.
In 1980, the state of Maryland started managing fun activities on the lake. Then, in 2000, they bought the land under the lake and the areas around it. This cost $17 million. In 2010, a group called the Appalachian Regional Commission helped fund a study. This study looked into ways to develop the Deep Creek Lake area for visitors. Soon after, a special website was launched to promote tourism there.
Fun Activities and Cool Features at the Park
Deep Creek Lake State Park offers many exciting things to do. You can enjoy water activities like motor boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, and canoeing. It's a perfect spot for a day on the water!
If you love camping, the park has a large campground. There are 112 campsites, and 26 of them even have electricity. You can also explore the park's trails. These trails are great for hiking and mountain biking, letting you see more of the beautiful forest.
Discover Nature at the Discovery Center
The park has a special building called the Discovery Center. It's about 6,000 square feet and has cool exhibits. You can learn about local plants and animals, including black bears. Sometimes, these bears are even seen near the campground!
The Discovery Center also teaches you about the lake and its watershed. A watershed is the area of land where all the water drains into a lake or river. You can learn about important conservation issues and the area's history with coal mining and logging. Park naturalists, rangers, and volunteers also offer daily educational programs about nature and the environment.
Johnny's Bait House: A Fishing Legend
For many years, there was a famous place called Johnny's Bait House right on Deep Creek Lake. It was open from 1955 to 2003. Johnny Marple and his wife Elaine owned and ran it. Johnny was a big supporter of fishing at Deep Creek Lake.
In its early days, Johnny's was open all year, even for ice fishing in winter. Later, it started closing during the colder months. Johnny's Bait House was known for providing the Deep Creek Lake Fishing Report. This report was shared with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and many newspapers and magazines.
Johnny's also worked with the Garrett County Promotion Council to start the Garrett County Fishing Contest. This weekly event is still popular today! The shop also kept the official Deep Creek Lake Fishing records until 2003. Many Maryland state freshwater fishing records were set there. Johnny even helped the state track fish populations. You can still see many mounted fish from Johnny's collection at the Discovery Center today. Bill's Outdoor Center now stands where Johnny's Bait House used to be.
