About
Deep Creek Lake is an inland lake of about 3,900 acres at full pool with roughly 65 miles of shoreline in the mountains of Garrett County. It is the center of the area's summer boating, fishing and swimming, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources manages it as the Deep Creek Lake Natural Resources Management Area.
A Lake Made in 1925
The lake was created when the Youghiogheny Hydroelectric Company dammed Deep Creek; the gates closed in January 1925 and the valley, much of it logged in the early 1900s, filled faster than planned thanks to heavy rain and snow. Water released from the dam still flows into the Upper Youghiogheny River. The State of Maryland bought the lake and the surrounding Buffer Strip from the Pennsylvania Electric Company in 2000, and the lake marked its 100th anniversary in 2025. It sits west of the Eastern Continental Divide, so its water drains toward the Mississippi.
Boating, Fishing and Swimming
- Boating: the main public launch is at Deep Creek Lake State Park, and several marinas offer private launching. State rules cap boat length, ban houseboats and parasailing, and require no-wake speed within 100 feet of shore, docks and other boats.
- Fishing: largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike and trout. Anglers 16 and older need a Maryland fishing license. The state park has an ADA fishing pier, and there is a small shore-fishing area near the US 219 bridge.
- Swimming: the state park beach is the only designated public swimming area on the lake.
Before You Go
The shoreline Buffer Strip is state land, but the general public may not camp, picnic or swim from it, and fishing from private docks needs the owner's written permission. Anyone born on or after July 1, 1972 needs boater education to operate a boat. DNR does not check ice thickness, so ice fishing is at your own risk. Permits for docks and Buffer Strip work come from the Lake Management Office at 73 Brant Road, Swanton.
Check DNR's boating and fishing rules before you head out, and you'll have the lake's coves and open water to enjoy.
Address
Deep Creek Lake, Oakland, MD 21550