Deep Creek Lake State Park occupies more than 1,100 acres on the northeast side of Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland and centers recreation on the state’s largest inland lake. The area’s landscape was reshaped by twentieth-century logging, leaving today’s oak and hickory woods as regenerated forest, and the lake itself was created in 1925 by Deep Creek Dam. Maryland took over recreation management in 1980 and bought the lakebed and buffer lands in 2000, expanding public control. The park offers water activities, trails, camping, and the Discovery Center, which interprets local wildlife, conservation, and regional coal and logging history while preserving part of the lake’s fishing culture.