Oakland to Cumberland

Including MD 135, MD 495 & MD 36

Just beyond Oakland at Loch Lynn Heights, the byway branches in two directions. One route continues on MD 135 through the Victorian-era resort town of Deer Park and on toward Savage River State Forest. A side track takes you on back roads to Potomac State Forest where the Lostland Run Trail is a hidden gem that rewards hikers with gorgeous cascading waterfalls and lush streamside forests canopied by rhododendron. 

Soon after the town of Deer Park, choose between staying on MD 135 or heading north on MD 495, which leads you through Swanton, Jennings and on toward Grantsville where you can sleep among the treetops in Ella’s Enchanted Treehouses. Grantsville is a favorite road trip stop where the Spruce Forest Artisan Village, Penn Alps Restaurant, Mountain Grape Tavern and Casselman River Bridge provide a welcome place to enjoy the scenery, get a bite to eat and browse traditional arts-in-the-making. If you choose to stay on MD 135 rather than taking MD 495, you’ll soon find another side track that heads toward Kitzmiller and the Jennings Randolph Lake mountain recreation area, a place where locals love to fish and power boat. 

Back on MD 135, you’ll pass through Bloomington, then turn onto Savage River Road to head through the 54,000-acre Savage River State Forest to Savage River Reservoir, a peaceful place to kayak without motorized boats. Miles of less traveled trails weave throughout the state forest. Turn onto Big Run Road where Big Run State Park offers rustic streamside camping and hiking along lush Monroe Run. At the end of Big Run Road, turn onto New Germany Road and continue through New Germany State Park, another park with cross-country ski rentals, cabins and trails, as well as lake swimming. Your destination is the town of Grantsville.

After visiting Grantsville, return to Bloomington using either MD 495 or Savage River Road, then continue northeast on MD 135 through the towns of Luke and Westernport. Turn onto MD 36 and head northeast through Lonaconing, which has an early-19th-century iron furnace to explore and a 2,895-foot-high scenic overlook in Dans Mountain State Park, perfect for watching the sunset or sunrise.

Next, drive to Frostburg, a mountainside college town and home to a picturesque Maryland Main Street where Mountain City Traditional Arts showcases the area’s Appalachian cultural roots. Don’t miss the Frostburg Depot where you can ride a rail bike with Tracks ‘n Yaks. The Thrasher Carriage Museum is also worth a visit to see a collection of horse-drawn vehicles used on the National Road.

From Frostburg, continue east on MD 36 to Cumberland where entertainment opportunities range from museums and galleries to performing arts centers. A breathtaking mountain view is found along Cumberland Narrows, a 1,000-foot gorge just west of Cumberland. In town, transportation heritage sites, like the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, the Allegany Museum and the C & O Canal National Historical Park Visitor Center show the area’s links to the birth of railroading, the C & O Canal and Historic National Road. Besides being used for trade and passenger travel, each of these transportation routes were also once used by freedom seekers who were escaping slavery.