Herrington Manor State Park (Oakland, MD)

Herrington Manor State Park is located close to Oakland, MD - just 3 miles or so from Swallow Falls State Park. The park consists of 365 acres with the 53 acre lake being the main attraction. The lake was created by damming shortly after the state purchased the land as part of a forest conservation effort in 1935. The Park was created in 1964 after the Manor house owned by original land owner Abijah Herrington (built mid 1800's) was torn down. My first visit here was in July 1986; 31 years ago. I was 18 at the time and probably did not grasp the beauty of this place. This is one of those cases where you can say little if anything has changed and that (to me) is a great thing about this beautiful park. I truly believe this is one of the most underused state parks in our entire state.

The very rural location is probably the cause of this but again this is what is so attractive about this park. The day we visited literally there may have been 6-7 people in the entire park! It was SO quiet. After we hiked the 3.5 mile trail through the wooded area (also a cross country ski trail) - we sat by the lake for probably an hour. It was so relaxing just taking in the sounds... ducks, Canadian geese, woodpeckers, the water lapping at the shore, and the occasional shotgun echo through the valley from a distant hunter. Summers are different as there are camping areas & cabins as well as numerous day activities for visitors. Winter time sees cross country skiing as the main activity.

The climate in this entire area (Garrett County Maryland) is unique to any other part of our state. Often brutal winters with severely cold temperatures, high winds and the associated wind chills, and at times lots of snow. Believe it or not this area is very prone to lake effect snows from the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. It just depends on wind direction and conditions. Sometimes it can literally "snow for days" here. A short 45 minute drive east and you find no snow. Maryland's only ski resort (Wisp) is located just 15 minutes to the north. Quite an interesting meteorological area to learn about. Being the western most county in Maryland you truly get the feel when you visit here that it is indeed quite different - albeit in a good way if you love to explore nature and the outdoors.