Getaways: Western Maryland is close but a world away

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the “72 Hours” insert of The Fredrick News Post on December 8, 2022.

As you wind your way up stately Sideling Hill and through the iconic man-made cut in the mountain that jaggedly exposes millions of years of rock, coal and sediment, you’re finally able to see the picturesque valley of Allegany County as you begin your descent over the crest

This is the entrance to what the tourism folks now call “Mountain Maryland.” But for me, this place will always be home.

My wife and I spent our formative years in Allegany County. I grew up in the southwestern part of the county near Keyser, West Virginia. I went to high school in Westernport at now defunct Bruce High, and completed my undergraduate work at Frostburg State University. Ellen grew up just north of Cumberland and went to school at Fort Hill High, that notable state football powerhouse. As most of us know, this part of the state has fallen on perpetual, shall we say, less-than-stellar times. We wouldn’t want to live there anymore, but as they say, it’s a great place to visit.  

My wife and I occasionally travel back home to eat, visit, sight see, and just plain decompress. In some ways it’s like a trip back in time. The pace of daily life is decidedly slow, traffic is nearly nonexistent, the scenery is absolutely beautiful, and the cost of food and lodging is much less than in the Frederick area. There may be no better way to spend a day outside of Frederick than to take a trip to Allegany County – and perhaps farther to Garrett County, Maryland’s westernmost county.

Getting There

As you head west on I-70 to Hancock where you pick up I-68, Sideling Hill should be your first stop. Get out of your car, stretch your legs and climb the stairs halfway up the mountain in just minutes to take in the breathtaking view.

At roughly 2,300 feet, Sideling Hill allows glorious views of West Virginia to the south and Pennsylvania to the north. On a map, this stretch of Maryland is so narrow it seems you could easily pinch it off and hand it over to West Virginia. It’s no secret that most folks in these parts wouldn’t mind that a bit. The real draw, however, is the dramatic cut in the mountain that exposes over 800 feet of rock and coal, dating back millions of years. If you go in winter, you’ll marvel at the largest icicles you’ve ever seen.

Back in the car, you descend past Green Ridge State Forest, the picturesque town of Flintstone, and Rocky Gap State Park, where camping, swimming, boating, and gambling share equal billing.

I spent much of my youth sunning and swimming here in Lake Habeeb. Today, the Rocky Gap Casino Resort has taken over much of the land once used for outdoor recreation, but plenty is still available. If casinos are your thing, this one should be your go-to. It’s a bit farther from Frederick than Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia or Horseshoe in Baltimore, but the state invested heavily to bring this cash cow to Western Maryland to help nudge the chronically underperforming economy along.  

Cumberland

Your next stop is historic Cumberland, the county seat and hub of Allegany County’s economic, tourist and government activity. I-68 actually passes over Cumberland, so you have to be careful to find an exit and stick with it or you’ll pass it by completely. You’ll know you’re there by the beautiful church steeples that adorn the skyline.

Before you depart the interstate for downtown Cumberland, you’ll want to grab some lunch. We wholeheartedly recommend Puccini’s Restaurant, just east of Cumberland on Ali Ghan Road and right along the interstate. It features casual Italian dining set in the historic setting of the former Hinkle House, which served as a Civil War hospital during the Battle of Folck’s Mill. Try the wedge salad and wood-fired pizza. Their delicious pizza is unlike anything we’ve found in the Frederick area. The house-made dough is thin, crispy and perfectly blackened at the edges. The potassium-rich wood ash adds flavor.  Lunch for two will set you back only about $20 or $25.

If pizza is not your thing for lunch, try one of these two local landmarks – D’Atris or Coney Island Famous Wieners. D’Atris has the best steak sandwich I’ve ever eaten – and that includes in Philadelphia (it’s all in the dressing the lettuce is soaked in, I’m told.) The Coney Island wieners actually melt in your mouth, and you’ll have a hard time having just one or two.

Queen City is a pleasantly walkable. You can take a leisurely stroll on the C&O Canal towpath, which terminates near the intersection of the Potomac River and Wills Creek near George Washington’s Headquarters. The towpath in the city is not very shady, and you’ll have to watch out for bicyclists whizzing by, unless you decide to bike it yourself. If you do, take advantage of several bike rental shops within easy walking distance of the towpath and Canal Place – the modest eating and shopping area right at the canal terminus.

If you have more time, you can hop aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for a leisurely four and a half-hour round trip to Frostburg and back, or you can get off in Frostburg and bike back to Cumberland via the Maryland portion of the Great Allegany Passage, the 150-mile bike and walking trail from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. If you do, you’ll enjoy a gentle 10-mile downhill decline on a crushed limestone surface, snaking through the “Narrows” and into Cumberland where you’ll connect with the C&O Canal towpath.

Besides the rich history and outdoor recreational opportunities, the best reason to visit Cumberland might be its architecture. My wife and I like nothing better than to stroll along Baltimore Street, the now-struggling downtown area of Cumberland, trying to recall the names of the local shopping institutions that once made these enormous and ornate storefronts their home. We can usually come up with Rosenbaums, Peskins, Lazarus and a few more.

Today, you can enjoy antiquing, art galleries and a few charming pubs and eateries. We then walk up to Washington Street, the “old money” residential area of Cumberland, taking note of the remarkable late 19^th- and early 20^th-century architecture. Most of the homes on Washington Street are very large, seemingly far too large for just one family.

Frostburg

Known as the Mountain City, Frostburg is just 10 miles west of Cumberland – be sure to travel there on the National Road (Route 40) through the Narrows – but a world away in many respects, particularly weather-wise. Because of its elevation near the peak of Big Savage Mountain, it’s not unusual for Frostburg to be consistently 10 degrees cooler and wetter than Cumberland year-round. During my college days, it was typical for the ice and snow to pile up so much that sidewalks were not seen for months at a time.

Frostburg is a university town with an energy and vibrancy unlike anywhere else in the county. Because of Frostburg State University, the arts, entertainment, and eateries abound on Main Street in a way that Cumberland cannot duplicate.

If you have time we recommend a classic film matinee at the historic Palace Theater, a drink and a snack at one of the many brewpubs on Main Street or a walk across the FSU campus (preferably when there are no classes) to visit the state-of-the-art library, football field, “Old Main” building, the performing arts center, Lane Center student union or environmental center.

Frostburg is also notable for the annual Appalachian Festival, which features local artisans and is one of the leading showcases for Appalachian culture in the U.S. The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, which turns around in Frostburg on an old-style turntable for the return trip to Cumberland, and the Thrasher Carriage House Museum, located next to the scenic railroad depot featuring late 19^th- and early 20^th-century carriages of all types, are two additional popular draws.  

Garrett County

After a few hours in Frostburg, head due west over Big Savage Mountain and into the charming hamlet of Grantsville in Garrett County, and have dinner at Penn Alps Restaurant & Craft Shop. This cozy, 1700s-style restaurant features Amish and German cooking at its best. If you go Friday through Sunday, have the hot food buffet that is lovingly tended and jam-packed with perfectly seasoned soups, meats and vegetables. Top it off with a sampling from the homemade desert bar with old-time favorites such as bread pudding, oatmeal cake, apple pie and blueberry and cherry cobbler. Take the time to meander around the craft shop situated in the same building as the restaurant, and then take a stroll along the Spruce Forest Artisan Village next door. Unfortunately, the giant blue spruces are gone, felled by a small tornado a few years ago, but the weavers, potters, woodworkers and other artisans remain, diligently working in their cabins for all to watch and ask questions.

Finish your day with a drive past lovely Deep Creek Lake. Maryland’s largest lake is an outdoors paradise featuring boating, fishing, camping and skiing. It is about 20 miles west of Grantsville.

If you have more time in Garrett County, we recommend two modest hikes to work off the amazing dinner you had at Penn Alps.

The first is to find the source of the Potomac River. Spoiler alert: it’s not much of a hike at all and the source is not even in Maryland! It’s in a small state park in West Virginia near the junction of Grant, Tucker and Preston counties. It boggles my mind to compare this little trickle, bubbling up from the ground, to its imposing grandeur at the Chesapeake Bay some 400 miles away.  So much of Maryland’s geography and identity is tied to this famous river that you’ll be glad you completed this hike.

The other is a more difficult hike to the highest point in Maryland, the area known as Hoye-Crest on Backbone Mountain. The peak is nestled against the Maryland-West Virginia border near Red House, Maryland. Hoye Crest is more than 3,300 feet high and is about a 1-mile hike on steep, rocky terrain.

Going Home

Out of breath and tired from your busy but delightful day, you get back in your car and continue driving past Oakland, the attractive county seat of Garrett County, and make the long, downward trek back to Allegany County via Route 135 into Westernport and McCoole.  At McCoole, the site of my long-gone elementary school, you pick up Route 220 for the 30-minute drive back to Cumberland.  Once there, you can decide whether to stay in a hotel (we recommend the Fairfield Inn near the C&O Canal terminus) or pick up I-68 and then I-70 near Hancock for the 90-minute drive east to Frederick.