Bears Den - Deep Creek Lake

04/17/2024

8 amazing state parks in Garrett County. Check out the post to learn more….

04/05/2024

For the adventure/daredevil types…..tallest waterfall in MD!!

02/20/2024

Timed the snow just perfectly this past weekend @ Bears Den - Deep Creek Lake. Fresh powder, tubing & skiing, 16th Bday celebration and a great closing dinner at Firewater.

Couldn’t have asked for a better weekend!!

Till next time….love this place!!

02/10/2024

Best hiking trails in the DCL vicinity…..

Deep Creek Lake & greater Garrett County are home to the best hiking trails in Western Maryland. Discover the best hikes for all levels in Deep Creek

01/19/2024

Bring it on!!❄️⛷️🥂

01/10/2024

Fresh powder on the mountain and more is coming. Time to get those skis waxed and make it out soon!

Lots of new snow from the storm this morning! Shifting patterns will bring some ice and rain this afternoon, but snow returns tomorrow!

12/20/2023

Check out the Wisp ski cams - don’t forget to book your trip soon!

https://www.resortcams.com/webcams/wisp/

The Wisp Ski Resort Cam is one of the Ski Cams that provides great images of the conditions and slope traffic on the mountain at Wisp Ski Area in Maryland. The only Ski Resort in Maryland, Wisp Resort is located in beautiful McHenry MD, near Deep Creek Lake. For more…

12/08/2023

Sportsman’s notice - trout fishing and MD DNR stocking is a big thing around the Deep Creek area.

We have great guides and DIY options. Bears Den is a great home base for fitting in trout fishing throughout the year.

Preseason Trout Stocking Begins Early in Maryland Waters

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun “preseason” stocking with the first of about 290,000 trout in Maryland waters statewide.

This stocking will help coldwater hatcheries reduce overcrowded fish densities caused by record drought conditions this year. The first preseason stockings will be allocated to impoundments, special management, and delayed harvest streams providing ice fishing and catch-and-release fishing opportunities through winter and into the spring.

Sustained drought has resulted in historically low water flow at the spring-fed Albert Powell Hatchery and Cushwa rearing facility in Washington County. To compensate for the lack of water, the hatchery closed two of 19 outdoor holding areas called raceways and monitored water conditions closely to ensure the survival of the maximum number of trout. Read More: https://ow.ly/B0e550QgTkF

11/26/2023

⛷️❄️🏂❄️🎿❄️

11/10/2023

If you’re starting to think about ski season - check out this snow report for the DCL/Wisp. Highest concentration of snow in the entire area is DCL/Wisp @ 85-120 inches!

Let’s hope the weatherman delivers snowmageddon!!

WISP site for more information. (https://www.wispresort.com/lift-tickets/)

Check out Bears Den for availability….
https://www.deepcreek.com/vacation-rentals/bears-den

Vacation Home Rental

10/06/2023

Latest DCL fall foliage report - enjoy!!

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fall Foliage Report – October 5, 2023 October 5, 2023 “In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October.” Alexander Smith Fall days are here – blue skies, clouds like giant marshmallows, and gobs of sunshine....

09/22/2023

One of the top fall destinations in the country is located within driving distance of Bears Den.

https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-place-to-visit-for-fall-2023/?fbclid=IwAR3drd_wl_SCnxlDj4-8FrFv3Wh3WUEob4E9-zML1l0XGa8BJ0TtHBCzZ_Q_aem_ATTPV7D6w-uDow24Iwxu15ou9d7u-Q6KG3Ak5DgU4oywF-eqrBjNgAmHR-oP8oJdZD8&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

These are the 10 best places to visit this fall, according to our readers.

09/06/2023

Checked out some new water for upcoming trout seasons. Went upstream of muddy falls and found a few places to check out once the fall and spring trout stockings take place.

I like the solitude of this body of water.
We’ll see what the fall brings when the stocked trout hit the streams!

08/17/2023

Upcoming Event!🍷Deep Creek Art and Wine Fest, Sept 9th. It’s right up the road from our cabin and proceeds benefit a local animal organization (HART). The cabin is available that weekend 😉. Here’s more info…

Get Tickets Now See 2022 Wine List 2023 TICKETS ON SALE NOW! The 19th annual Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival, benefiting HART for Animals and Garrett Lakes Arts Festival (GLAF), features beautifully handcrafted works by local and regional artisans, more

08/17/2023

We escaped the Northern Va heat and enjoyed a long weekend with family and friends!

Deep Creek Lake is huge! It’s the largest inland body of water in the state of Maryland. It covers about 3,900 acres and has 69 miles of shoreline. The water temp and air temp were about the same when we went out (75 degrees).

There’s so much to explore in the lake! If you are interested in renting a boat/getting out on the water, here’s more info: https://www.deepcreek.com/blog/things-do-deep-creek-lake/boating-deep-creek-lake

If driving a boat isn’t your thing, an experienced Adventure Guide will cruise you along the lake on this one-hour tour. Sit back, relax, and take in the local knowledge and interesting history of Deep Creek Lake. https://www.wispresort.com/Pontoon-Boat-Tours/

08/12/2023

Kicked off the weekend with drinks in hand and kabobs on the grill. Looking forward to some R&R and time on the lake!!

07/28/2023

We’ve had so much fun on Deep Creek Lake this summer! I always wanted to water ski…checked that box on my bucket list✅💦

If you also dreamed of water skiing or wakeboarding, Greg Rouse is the best guide on the lake (he taught me everything I know 😆🚤😉) http://rousewatersports.com/?p=1)

07/21/2023

Swallow Falls (https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/swallowfalls.aspx)……….

is a great place to take an easy/moderate hike around the Canyon Trail Loop (1.5 miles) or go direct to Muddy Creek Falls (for those less mobile).

You pay by the car load or if a frequent MD state park visitor- buy the annual state park pass and breeze right through.

07/07/2023

Bears are pervasive in the Deep Creek Lake area.

We have bear proof trash cans in our neighborhood, but also for entire lake front area. Our cabin is named Bears Den - you get the idea.

Be assured - they just want the easy meal.

If you have the great fortune of crossing paths in the DCL area, this is what you may find…..

06/23/2023

Fishing was on the mind - but was I ready for a trout/river adventure. I wanted to find some easier access places to start my trout fishing journey. Here is where I landed first - within 25 minutes of the house.

Casselman River Bridge State Park - known as a managed trout stream (delayed harvest) - good place to be when the spring (not sure about fall stocking) trout stocking begins. I went midday - bite was slow but the scenery didn’t disappoint!! Caught a few smallies and lost one rainbow trout - not a bad start for the trout off-season.

Lastly, the river, historic bridge, the rapids - what else could you ask for. All about the adventure and experiences of trying something new.

Keep an eye out for the Maryland DNR Facebook site - they post when the trout stocking happen for the entire state - near daily updates.

06/23/2023

So what’s there to do at Deep Creek Lake - MD???

We’re no expert but here’s some things we’ve started to do year round….

-Boating - wakeboarding or water tubing - get the higher horsepower boats and rentals. 150 hsp (minimum) if you want to give your tubing guests a run!

-Hiking - there are so many places to hike!! Plenty of places to check out including the obligatory Swallow Falls.

-Fishing - is it a lake day or river day?? Some of the biggest fish caught inland in Maryland are here at Deep Creek Lake and surrounding tributaries. Trout fishing in the spring/fall with many stocked and native trout opportunities in the area.

-Fall Foliage - one of the best times of the year!! Change of seasons, Hot tubs and cooler weather gets the blood flowing

-Snow Skiing (and snow tubing)- Wisp ski resort is 7 minutes away - give us more snow this coming year!!

-Hunting - for those on the adventurous side - western MD has an enormous amount of public land/state forests to explore. Over the counter tags make it very easy to pick up with a plethora (75,000 + acres) of options within 30-45 minutes of the house!!

-Biking - limited experience so far but an area we’ll be exploring soon

-ATV/UTV - found out there are ORV designated areas where you can ride your off road toys. Hard to find upfront (rules/ref’s) but we’ll post on it once figured out

-Dining (upscale/casual) - there are some nice water front places for both the casual and upscale diner. We’ll look to highlight our favourite places and narrow down the list for you

-Desserts- really important material - where do you go for the ultimate dessert???

Goes without saying that we’re excited to share our experiences at DCL. We’ve found that there’s a treasure trove of things to do - sometimes you have a dig a little to find them.

Ultimately - if you come to stay with us - we’ll save you some leg work to make your trip here most enjoyable!

06/22/2023

Bears Den - Deep Creek Lake - a four seasons paradise in Western Maryland.

We bought this cabin at the beginning of the year
with the hope of spending as much time as possible here.

The good news…..

We’re going to share our journey but also have the cabin open for rentals through Railey Mountain Lake Vacations - Deep Creek Lake -

Bear's Den is a 2.00 bedroom, 2.00 bathroom vacation rental.