Going away with a bunch of families can either be a brilliant idea or a big disaster. The more people, the greater the chance of personality clashes and chaos. But there’s also potential for way more fun if you’re with the right crowd. Luckily, our four-family getaway to Deep Creek Lake over Memorial Day Weekend easily went that route, and I’m sure I speak for all 16 of us when I say it was an absolute blast.
It wasn’t just the company that made the trip such a success. Located in Garret County, MD, about a three-hour drive from DC, the Deep Creek Lake area abounds with excellent options for recreation. With several state parks and forests around, there are numerous trails for hiking and biking. And, of course, the lake itself is a boon for water-inspired fun — swimming, boating, tubing, paddling, and more. (It’s also a popular winter destination with Wisp Resort offering all the snow sports, and some people rank the snow quality among the best in the area.)
My friend, Torey, came up with the idea to go there. All of the families who would be joining enjoy outdoor activities, and she easily found a fantastic, reasonably priced house that accommodated our whole crew very comfortably. On top of that, the space around the house was sublime, wide and open with lots of room for the kids to run around and roam. We actually booked it only about three weeks ahead, so either there are plenty of good lodging options for large groups, or there weren’t many others looking for a house that size.
We spent our first full day at Deep Creek on land, first visiting Swallow Falls State Park where Muddy Creek Falls, Maryland’s highest free falling waterfall, is a scenic highlight. We also hiked around, clamored over rocks, watched kayakers, and enjoyed the beautiful dose of nature. Later we went to Deep Creek Lake State Park, where there is a beach and swimming area, plus nice stretches of grass by the lake for lawn sports and relaxing. The park is also known for its great mountain biking — some of the dads took advantage and gave it a big thumbs up (well, except for one who broke his hand during a fall).
Speaking of bikes, just about everyone brought them, and even though we all didn’t hit the trails in the woods, they were great for riding around the area near our house. The roads weren’t heavily trafficked, and the vast stretches of fields alongside provided pretty backdrops, especially in the morning light. Wooded lanes made for nice cycling (and walking and running) routes, too.
Our second day was all about the water. We rented a 19-person pontoon boat and enjoyed a good eight hours on Deep Creek Lake, cruising all 5.6 miles, tubing, and swimming. An inner tube connected by rope was included with the rental, and the kids (and a few of us parents) clung on for thrilling spins along the water. We packed a couple of huge coolers with food and drinks for an onboard picnic plus plenty of snacks. There are also public docking areas near snack stands and shops, and we stopped at one for treats later in the day. If you can swing it, I highly recommend splurging a bit on a boat rental — it really lets you take advantage of the area’s main attraction.
Our final day there before heading back home, we stopped at Funland for go-karting, bumper boats, and more games. It may not have been the highlight of the trip, but it was some of the best scenery for those activities we’ve seen.
This is a trip we’ll definitely be taking again. And if we can get our friends who are moving across the country to come back for a long weekend, we’ll get the whole gang back together for it.
Find more information about Deep Creek Lake here and here.
Some other good things to know:
* We found our house on VRBO, but there are places available on Airbnb and through rental companies — just do a quick Google search to find them.
* While we cooked most of our meals at home, there are restaurants around for eating out. There is a Shop ‘n Save grocery store in McHenry, about 15 minutes away from where we stayed, and a couple of smaller stores. However, we had some good cooks in the mix and planned meals in advance, so we brought groceries to ensure we had everything we needed.
* There’s even more great recreation than what we did in Deep Creek Lake, and you can read about it all here.
As far as a pontoon boat, I am not a big fan, but you might really like that style. But remember when you buy a new boat, as soon as you take delivery you take a hit on its value. You should take a look at what is available used and relatively new. You can get great low hour bargains in this economy and as long as you have the used boat checked over you should be fine