Appalachia and Garrett County, MD History: Garrett County Natural Resources

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources articles and pictures concerning the history of conservation in Maryland. Many articles feature visits to Garrett County, and its parks, by famous trailblazers.

Garrett Trails is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to the development of a well used network of high-quality, sustainable trails that provide access to Garrett County’s historic, municipal, and environmental treasures. Garrett Trails believes outstanding trails are important to the economic development of the County and will promote good health and well being for County residents.

A History of the Upper Yough is a narrative in two arcs. The first is a story about a river, a destination, and the people that make it special. It’s about a kayaking community that, over a span of fifty years, has formed around the river. It’s about a river gorge that is both rugged and accessible; where you can feel alone one minute, and surrounded the next. And it’s about the people that surround you, the characters that have defined themselves by their achievements and mishaps, leaving lasting legacies behind.
The second arc is what would have prevented the first story from ever happening. Massive logging operations, numerous planned dams, and acid mine drainage that threatened the gorge’s pristine nature. It’s also about a region that has always turned to Garrett County for its resources, and so rarely thought about the consequences of those actions.
But most importantly, it is about where those two arcs intersect. The boaters and townspeople that worked to save the river and make it a destination. To make it something special; a place worth telling a story about.

Article by Dan Whetzel that celebrates Deep Creek Lakes 95th Anniversary by delving into the history of Maryland's largest freshwater lake.

Article by Dan Whetzel about the unique wildlife and botanical preserve and sanctuary that stretches across two states and more than 1,700 acres.

Article by Mary Reisinger that covers the 1902 visit of Teddy Roosevelt's wife, his son, and Gifford Pinchot, future Chief of the United States
Forest Service, to Garrett County. This trip would illuminate an important era in American understanding of fisheries and forests.

Article by Titos Menchacha that hightlights the meadows, bogs and forests – along with two beaver ponds and a stream called Millers Run – that are home to an incredible variety of rare and endangered plants as well as deer, fowl and small mammals.

Article by Dan Whetzel recounting the history of Garrett County's most popular state park.

Article by Kim Folk that reveals Garrett County as one of 13 certified Heritage Areas in Maryland.

Article by Dan Whetzel about the off-road adventures you can experience in Wolfe Den Road State Park.

Isolated by geography and motivated by self reliance, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area has a rich history, heritage, and culture. The region’s unique environment has shaped the people here just as much as the people have shaped the environment. Connected by forests, streams, and mountains, the 18 counties of the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area are full of fascinating stories just waiting to be discovered.
The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area works with willing partners in 16 West Virginia counties and 2 counties in western Maryland to explore and enhance the relationship between the forested mountains and the people who live here.

Casselman River Bridge State Park is a 4-acre parcel, popular for picnicking, fly fishing and photography. When the 80-foot span was erected in 1813, it was the longest single-span stone arch bridge in the United States and served as an important link on the National Road from 1813 to 1933.

Website dedicated to the preservation and education about the flora and fauna of the Cranesville Swamp Preserve.

Cunningham Swamp WMA is located in Central Garrett County. This 328-acre tract encompasses the majority of Cunningham Swamp, a rich wetland with exceptional habitat for wetland and bog related species.

Deep Creek Lake State Park is located in Western Maryland’s Garrett County. The park encompasses over 1,800 acres and adjoins Deep Creek Lake Natural Resources Management Area and its 3,900-acre man-made lake.

Herrington Manor was designated as a state park in 1964. The 365-acre park, located within Garrett State Forest, offers swimming, canoeing, kayaking, biking, picnicking, hiking, tennis, basketball, volleyball and 20 furnished log cabins for rental use year-round.

Approximately 90% of the Mt. Nebo WMA is dominated by mixed hardwood forest in various age classes, with the remaining 10% comprised of wetland bog, agricultural fields, and power line rights-of-way. A 1,854 acre tract located in southwestern Garrett County, Mt. Nebo WMA protects two red spruce bogs, one of the most unique wetlands in Maryland.

New Germany State Park’s visitors frequently call it a “best kept secret.” This mountain gem is nestled between the 2,900 ft. Big Savage Mountain to the east and the eastern Continental Divide along Meadow Mountain to the west.

Step back in time at Sang Run State Park and the Historic Friends Store. A homestead, formerly known as Friends Delight, dates back to the early 1800’s. The original home site, farm and store were donated to Maryland in 2008 and designated as a State Park in 2017. Hike, fish, picnic or sit and relax along the Wild and Scenic Youghiogheny River​.

This mountain park is located nine miles north of Oakland, Maryland and contains some of Maryland's most breathtaking scenery. The Youghiogheny River flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids.

Wolf Den Run State Park is a 2039 acre multi-use park that offers opportunities for hiking, biking, fishing, birdwatching, hunting, and ORV riding. This park has an expanding network of trails offering access to the largest collection of ORV trails in Maryland.

Youghiogheny Wild River Natural Environmental Area is part of the large Mississippi River watershed that stretches from the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Rockies in the west. Beginning in the gently rolling farmlands of southern Garrett County, the Youghiogheny cuts a northward path through some of the most rugged mountain scenery in Maryland before running into Pennsylvania and merging with the Monongahela at McKeesport, Pennsylvania.