Nestled deep in western Maryland mountains almost to the border of West Virginia lies a hidden a fairyland of giant hemlock trees and waterfalls. Swallow Falls State Park is just south west of Deep Creek Lake. It offers the visitors a chance to explore virgin Hemlock forest and the opportunity to relax and play in the waterfalls.
This is the second year we have visited this magical misty landscape where gnarled roots of huge Hemlock trees, Loral and Wild Azalea bushes intertwined with craggy rocks to form dark cave like recesses. These are decorated with carpets of moss of all shades of green and a multitude of mushrooms. I expected fairy or elves to pop out anytime from inside these holes or around the next bend in the trail. Last year we arrived early in June and found it very cool and pleasant hiking weather this year though, we came for the swimming.
I don’t think there are words to describe what it’s like to swim under a waterfall. Until I visited Swallow falls I though that this was only in the realm of possibility for people fortunate enough to live in places like Fiji or Hawaii. Yet here I was within the boundaries of my own state. We entered the water carefully because we could not see where we were stepping and there were plenty of surprise drops as the made our way attempting to follow the rocks to the middle of the stream. An older couple in the middle of the river smiled at our caution and waved for us to come out. The height of the water varied sometimes as little as three or four inches deep on wide flat rocks that allowed us to sit or to lie on our backs and let the water course around us. Other places the water was well over our heads and other visitors, mostly children whose parents must be looking elsewhere, jumped headlong into the dark water. This is the type of courage (or one might say foolishness) that leaves as we manage to make it to adulthood. The children didn’t mind though and there were yelps and cries of enjoyment as they leaped and dived into the deep pools. Others jumped into the raging torrent of water at the base of the falls and allowing the force of the water to carry them down the rapids. We chose a less wild set of rapids, (the kiddy set) to let the water carry of over and it was better then any manmade water slide. We also enjoyed just leaning against the rocks of one of the smaller falls and allowing the water to pound against our backs much like a waterfall back massage. There were many bathers of all ages enjoying the water and the geography was such that there variety of water flows and depths to be entertained by was without end.
The park borders the Youghiogheny River. Two creeks, Muddy creek and Tolliver creek flow into the Youghiogheny with the larger of the fall being located in Muddy creek. The Muddy Creek falls is 53 feet high. A person can walk right up to where the water falls over the edge. Though it may not matter much to the bathers the water makes its way north to flow into the Monongahela River with flows into the Ohio River then to the Mississippi then finally the bath water makes it to the Golf of Mexico. That’s quite a trip for bath water almost as fantastical as the dark Hemlock Forrest and beautiful falls so far away.
