Stretched between West Virginia and the razor-straight Pennsylvania border, western Maryland ranges for some two hundred miles east to west, but is in places well under five miles across. In general, the further west you go, the more mountainous and backwoodsy the feel, quite similar to Maryland's Appalachian neighbors.

Though the countryside is very pretty and great for hiking and camping, specific points of interest are few. Apart from the Civil War battlefield at Antietam , west of the only sizeable town, Frederick , the best reason to come to this part of the state is to cycle or hike the footpath of the restored old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal , which winds along the Maryland side of the Potomac River from Washington DC for over 180 miles to Cumberland in the western mountains. Even further west is the state's largest freshwater lake, Deep Creek Lake , popular with watersports enthusiasts, which has more than 70,000 acres of public parks and forests surrounding it - some of which makes smooth cross-country skiing during the winter.

Western Maryland

• Western Maryland

Explore Western Maryland

• Antietam National Battlefield
• Cumberland
• Frederick

Maryland cities


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