Boating

• Boating on Deep Creek Lake
• Noise Levels Limits
• Testing Procedures
• Mufflers
• Speed Zones
• Lake Map
• Carrying Capacity Study
• Boating Safety
• Licensing and Registration Services
• Rules and regulations for Personal Watercraft (PWC's) and responsible operation.

DCL Policy and Review Board

• Policy and Review Board
• Meetings: April 29, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the Discovery Center of Deep Creek Lake State Park
• Minutes

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

• Guide to aquatic vegetation
• Bay Grasses
• Benthic Mats Facts
• Benthic Mats for SAV's
• Benthic Mats Application
  

Deep Creek Lake Natural Resources Management Area

Safety Hazards On Deep Creek Lake

The Maryland Park Service (MPS) reminds visitors to Deep Creek Lake to be alert of safety hazards as temperatures begin to freeze the lake, particularly at night. MPS cautions:

• Snowmobilers, ice fishermen, hikers and cross-country skiers should wear a lifejacket and be cautious when traveling on or around the lake;
• Road-salt and abrasives plowed from highway bridges may melt and weaken ice in certain areas; and
• Sledders and snowmobilers should be mindful of hidden snowdrifts, which can act as ramps, sending a driver airborne and causing injury.

Deep Creek Lake is a part of the designated off-road vehicle trail system. Only registered snowmobiles are permitted to use the trail. Permits are available by mail or at any of the local State park offices. Snowmobiles may operate at night if equipped with working head and taillights. Access to the lake may be made at Deep Creek Lake State Park or with permission from a private landowner adjacent to the lake.

For information on ice conditions at Deep Creek Lake, call a park ranger at 301-387-5563 during the week-day or the Discovery Center on weekends at 301-387-7067. To report people, pets or wildlife that have fallen through the ice, call either 911 or the Department of Natural Resources at 410-260-8888.

Proposed Boating Regulation Length Change

Information about the proposal to amend the current regulation concerning length of boats permitted to operate on Deep Creek Lake is available now on the DNR Boating Services website at: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/regulations/proposals/dcl.asp

This proposed regulation will appear in the Maryland Register on January 11, 2013. Comments concerning this regulation will be accepted through February 11, 2013. The regulation may be adopted on February 26, 2013 and become effective Monday March 18, 2013.

Comments concerning this proposed regulation should be sent to: Lisa Gutierrez, Director, Boating Facilities and Director Access Planning, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Boating Services, 580 Taylor Avenue, E-4, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-260-8778, 410-260-8453 Fax or lgutierrez@dnr.state.md.us.

DNR Warns Of Unlicensed Tree Companies

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds homeowners to make sure that anyone they hire for tree trimming or removal is a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert.Read a recent press release regarding this issue.

The Lake

• State of the Lake - Secretary John Griffin's presentation
  
• Frequently Asked Questions

Deep Creek Lake Recreation and Land Use Plan
In 2000, the State of Maryland purchased the land underlying Deep Creek Lake, buffer zone properties and certain other parcels from General Public Utility, Inc. (GPU), for $17 million. During its' 2000 session, as the sale was being finalized, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to guide future management of Deep Creek Lake and established a Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board (PRB).

Deep Creek Lake Natural Resource Management Area lies just west of the Allegheny Front on a large plateau known as the Tablelands or Allegany Highlands. It lies west of the Eastern Continental Divide and within the Mississippi River watershed. The lake was created in 1925 when the Deep Creek project was constructed by the Youghiogheny Hydroelectric Company. At full pool, Deep Creek with 65 miles of shoreline has a surface area of 3900 acres with a storage volume of approximately 106,000 acre-ft. at the 2462 elevation level. The lake’s drainage is 64.7 square miles. Currently the water withdrawal from the lake is permitted for the Deep Creek power station and other limited purposes.

Visit the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park for public access to the lake and buffer strip.

The lake management office is located on Brant Road just past the park headquarters. Information about buffer strip use and lake regulations can be obtained by calling 301-387-4111. Annual permits for use of waters of the lake and shoreline are issued to property owners who adjoin the State property. The State property around the lake is commonly called the buffer strip.

Resource Assessment Presentations

To view presentations made at the July 23, 2012 Policy and Review Board meeting, "click" on the links below.

• 2012 SAV Work
• 2012 Preliminary Sediment Report
• 2012 Marcellus Shale Water Quality Data Collection
• 2012 DNR's Stream Monitoring Program

Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board - the PRB

The PRB is charged with advising the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on matters relating to lake fees, budget and management. In addition, the PRB and DNR were mandated to issue a Deep Creek Lake Recreation and Land Use Plan by June 2001 that provides for the wise use, protection and management of the natural and recreational resources of Deep Creek Lake. The Executive Summary and the Plan are available by "clicking" on the links below.

• Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board Members
• Executive Summary
• Deep Creek Lake Recreation and Land Use Plan
• Subcommittee Reports

Questions, comments and communications for the Policy and Review Board may be directed to DeepCreekLakePRB@dnr.state.md.us or to the Policy and Review Board, Deep Creek Lake Management Office, 898 State Park Road, Swanton, Maryland 21561.

Property Owners

• Click here for regulatory and land use information, and lake permit applications if you own property around Deep Creek Lake.
• Click here for the DNR Water Quality Monitoring slideshow presented to the Deep Creek Lake Propery Owners Association in August 2011.

Boating at Deep Creek

The boat launch facility is open most of the year except when winter weather or ice conditions prohibit access. Fishing is generally good on the lake with stocked trout, walleye, bass, and yellow perch being the most abundant. A service charge for use of the ramp applies to all making use of the facility. A Maryland State Park passport (annual pass to all Maryland State Parks) is recommended. Purchase a State Park Passport here.

Boating Safety Education classes provide the the boaters of Maryland the necessary information to operate a vessel safely. "Click here" for Boating Safety Education classes sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources.

West of the Divide

Deep Creek Lake State Park lies just west of the Allegheny Front on a large plateau known as the Tablelands or Allegany Highlands. Its location at the southernmost end of Meadow Mountain places it west of the Eastern Continental Divide and within the Mississippi River watershed. It gets its name from Deep Creek Lake, a hydroelectric project constructed on Deep Creek in the 1920's by the Youghiogheny Hydroelectric Company.

Man has been associated with the use of this land for thousands of years. Early nomadic hunters and gatherers, followed by Native American hunters, roamed through the mountains of Garrett County but have left little record of their presence. Beginning in the 1700's, early settlers to the region eked a subsistence existence based on the utilization of the area's abundant natural resources. The mountains remained relatively untouched until the turn of the century when massive logging operations began stripping the land of the virgin red spruce, hemlock, white pine, and yellow birch forests.

The park is the site of the historic Brant coal mine and homesite, where a restored mine entrance preserves a typical drift or adit mine. The mine was worked for several years by the Brant family and supplied bituminous coal for heating and blacksmithing in the local community.

Fishing

• 2010 Fish Kill FAQ's
• Consumption Advisory
• Maryland Fishing Guide

Seasonal Changes

• Ice Dangers and Safety
• Public Safety

Water Quality Reports

• 1990 - Feller Report Comparison
• 1995 - Pennsylvania Electric Company Annual Report
• 2007 - USGS Report
• 2008
• 2009 - DCL Water Monitoring Program
• 2009 - Center for Watershed Projection and Monitoring Study
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• Deep Creek Lake Preliminary Sediment Accumulation Study.
• Deep Creek Lake Baseline Assessment Report