Photographs
Muddy Creek Falls from the overlook, in summer. The water is tea-colored — that's tannin off the hemlocks, not silt.
Looking back upstream from the flat rock shelf below. Rhododendron on both banks, and the rock is slick where it looks dry.
The main path in from the parking area — crushed stone, level, and wide. This is the stretch a sturdy stroller will manage.2026-08-05
Tolliver Falls. Low and wide rather than tall — the opposite of Muddy Creek, and usually much quieter.2026-08-05
Tolliver from the far side of the pool. The water is that color from hemlock tannin.2026-08-05
The junction that decides your walk. Muddy Creek left, Tolliver right — and note the park spells it Tolliver.2026-08-05
The path along the ledge on the way to Tolliver. Rock steps, roots, and rhododendron the whole way.2026-08-05
The ledges the trail runs under. Wet most of the year, and slick where it looks dry.2026-08-05
One of the side runs coming down into the gorge.2026-08-05
The rock wall above the path near Tolliver. Those slabs came off the face.2026-08-05
The Youghiogheny at the bottom of the park. This is the river the Canyon Loop follows.2026-08-05
The sand below Tolliver Falls. This is the whole of it — a few strides along one bank, and the water is shallow at that edge.2026-08-06Weekends and holidays need a day-use reservation. Weekdays you can turn up and pay at the gate. Memorial Day weekend 2026 (23 May) – Labor Day 2026. Booking opens 7 days before the visit; changes or cancellations until 8am the day before.
Entry slots
- A — 8am to 11am
- B — 11:30am to 1:30pm
- C — 2pm to 4pm
Slots are expected to sell out consistently through the summer, so a weekend visit needs planning. On weekdays you can still turn up and pay on arrival.
Muddy Creek Falls is the tallest free-falling waterfall in Maryland at 53 feet. The mile-long loop past it runs through old-growth hemlock and white pine, some of it over 300 years old and the last of its kind in the state. It's the most visited park in Garrett County, and the reason the reservation system exists.
The waterfall is genuinely worth the drive, and the hemlock stand behind it is the better half. Everything you need is at the main lot, so you can park and be walking in a minute. Just don't turn up on a Saturday without a booking, because that changed in May and most of the internet hasn't noticed.
Matt, 3 Aug 2026
What's there
Facilities
13/14 confirmed- Waterfall
- Yes
- Beach
- No
- Swimming
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Picnic areas
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Camping
- Yes
- Cabins
- Yes
- Trails
- Yes
- Boat launch
- No
- Boat rentals
- Not confirmed
- Fishing
- Yes
- Winter use
- Yes
- Pets
- No
Where things are
- Underfoot
- The main path from the parking area is crushed stone, level and wide — doable with a rugged stroller. It does not stay that way: the trail out to Tolliver is rock steps, roots and ledges.
- The campground
- 65 sites with modern bath houses, fire rings, lantern posts and stabilized pads. Three sites have sewer, water and electric; three more have water and electric.
- Camper cabins
- Three, each with a double bed and a bunk bed, a mini-fridge and a microwave.
- Picnicking
- Tables and grills past the main parking area, on the hill. The pavilion beside the main lot can be rented.
- Tolliver Falls
- A low, wide falls at the far end of the trail with a crescent of sand on the near bank — a few strides of it, not a beach. Enough for small children to stand in the shallows at the edge. The park has no swimming beach and the record says so; this is the thing people mean when they ask.
- The walk
- A mile and a quarter loop past Muddy Creek, Swallow, and Upper and Lower Tolliver Falls. A separate 5.5-mile trail connects the park to Herrington Manor.
- Booking
- 888-432-2267 Monday to Friday, or parkreservations.maryland.gov. The park itself is reachable year round on 301-334-9180.
Getting in
| When | Maryland residents | Out of state |
|---|---|---|
| Sat of Memorial Day weekend – Labor Day | $3 per person | $5 per person |
| Tue after Labor Day – Fri before Memorial Day | $3 per vehicle | $5 per vehicle |
- Fee
- Sat of Memorial Day weekend – Labor Day: $3 per person Maryland residents, $5 per person out-of-state; Tue after Labor Day – Fri before Memorial Day: $3 per vehicle Maryland residents, $5 per vehicle out-of-state. Day-use fees are paid when you book a weekend reservation, plus a non-refundable service charge of about $1.50 per person.
- Annual pass
- Maryland State Park and Trail Passport — $75 a year, $100 for non-residents. Covers day-use entry statewide. Where it can be bought in the county is not confirmed.
- Shop
- Park store on site — whether it stocks more than camp supplies isn't confirmed
- Hours
- Not confirmed
- Park office
- 301-387-6938Swallow Falls State Park Office — c/o Herrington Manor State Park, 222 Herrington Lane, Oakland, MD 21550Reported first-hand as all being at the main parking area, with the trailheads a few steps away. Maryland's campground listing separately shows restrooms, showers, a Park Store and a dump station. Whether those are the same facilities or a second set at the campground is not yet confirmed.
From people who were there
The ranger station, restrooms and store are all at the main parking area, not off at the campground. The trailheads start a few steps from that same lot.
Site maintainer, first-hand · reported 3 Aug 2026 · visited 3 Aug 2026
Bears on: restrooms, ranger station, park store, trailheads
First-hand and useful, but not the same as the agency confirming it — so it doesn't change the stamp below. It changes what I go and ask.
I got this wrong
Corrected 3 Aug 2026
I'd said: That a reservation was required every day from 23 May through Labor Day, not just weekends.
Actually: Reservations are required on weekends and holidays only; weekdays are entry on arrival. Garrett County's May announcement said every day, but Maryland DNR runs the park and the reservation system, and three DNR sources — the park page, the 20 May statewide notice and the 25 June expansion release — all say weekends and holidays. I'd followed the county.
Where it's
Field notes
What I saw on the day. Not checked with anyone, and it can go out of date faster than the facts above.
Field note · 6 August 2026 · Site maintainer
There is no beach at Swallow Falls, and the record now says no rather than leaving it unchecked. What there is: a small crescent of sand below Tolliver Falls, on the near bank of the pool. Worth knowing before you promise a child a beach, and worth knowing it exists at all.
Field note · 5 August 2026 · Site maintainer, from the 2026 printed guide
Muddy Creek Falls is 53 feet, the highest free-falling waterfall in Maryland. Some of the hemlock and white pine along the trail is over 330 years old.
Field note · 5 August 2026 · Site maintainer
Walked the trail out to Tolliver Falls. The junction sign gives Canyon Loop both ways, Muddy Creek left and Tolliver right. Tolliver is low and wide and much quieter than Muddy Creek — most people stop at the big one and turn back.
Field note · 5 August 2026 · Site maintainer
The path in is crushed rock and flat enough for a rugged stroller. Worth knowing before you decide whether to carry a toddler — but only the first stretch. Past the junction it turns into steps and roots.
Field note · 3 August 2026 · Matt
The ranger station, the restrooms and the store are all at the main parking area, not off at the campground the way Maryland's own listing implies. Trailheads start a few steps from the same lot, so you can park and be walking in under a minute.
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The other parks
- Deep Creek Lake — state park, Swanton
- Herrington Manor — state park, Oakland
- New Germany — state park, Grantsville
- Big Run — state park, Grantsville
- Casselman River Bridge — state park, Grantsville
- Sang Run — state park, McHenry
- All ten, side by side