Foliage map › Destinations › Maryland › Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake, Maryland fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Deep Creek Lake area peaks around October 20, with the best viewing from roughly October 18 to October 26.
- Typical peak
- October 20
- Best viewing
- Oct 18 – Oct 26
- Color starts
- Around Oct 8
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 2
- Elevation
- 2,460 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 20. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Deep Creek Lake on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake, Maryland’s largest freshwater lake, sits at about 2,460 feet in the mountains of Garrett County, with about 65 miles of wooded shoreline. Nearby, Swallow Falls State Park protects a stand of old-growth hemlock and white pine along the Youghiogheny River, and Muddy Creek Falls drops 53 feet, the highest free-falling waterfall in Maryland. Herrington Manor State Park has a small lake in the woods, and just over the West Virginia line, the Cranesville Swamp Preserve has a boardwalk through a high mountain bog where tamaracks turn gold late in the season.
Scenic drive
US 219 runs past the lake through the hills of Garrett County, with farm fields and wooded ridges on both sides. Back roads lead from the lake to Herrington Manor and Swallow Falls state parks and on to the town of Oakland. For more high-country color, Davis and Blackwater Falls are less than an hour south.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Skyland (Shenandoah NP), VA (81 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 4 days earlier, and Snowshoe, WV (84 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 9 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Ohiopyle, PA (27 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Charlottesville, VA (112 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 10 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Ohiopyle, PATypical peak Oct 25, 5 days later. 27 miles away.
- Davis (Blackwater Falls), WVTypical peak Oct 17, 2 days earlier. 28 miles away.
- Pittsburgh, PATypical peak Oct 24, 4 days later. 74 miles away.
- Skyland (Shenandoah NP), VATypical peak Oct 15, 4 days earlier. 80 miles away.
- Snowshoe, WVTypical peak Oct 10, 9 days earlier. 84 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Deep Creek Lake?
In a typical year, fall color in the Deep Creek Lake area peaks around October 20, with the best viewing from roughly October 18 to October 26. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Deep Creek Lake?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 8, and most leaves are down by about November 2.
Is Deep Creek Lake early or late compared with the rest of Maryland?
Deep Creek Lake typically peaks about 10 days earlier than the Maryland average of Oct 30. It ranks 1 of 3 Maryland destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Deep Creek Lake?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, red maple, black gum, and northern red oak. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.