By: iTopTopics Staff
Swallow Falls, MD . Photo by Nicolas Raymond
Oakland - Maryland took one of the top honors as the best town in America for fall foliage display thanks primarily to Swallow Falls State Park. This mountain park is located nine miles north of Oakland, Maryland and contains some of Maryland's most breathtaking scenery. The Youghiogheny River flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids. Muddy Creek Falls is a crashing 53-foot waterfall – a spectacular sight. Tall hemlocks dominate the silent woods. The 1 1/4 mile trail through Swallow Falls guides hikers to some of the most breath-taking scenery in Western Maryland. The scenery is even spectacular during the fall with the oldest stands of eastern hemlock and white pine, more than 360 years old forest, blanket the area in gold, orange, red, and that eternal green. Oakland residents embrace and celebrate nature beauty granted to the area with the annual Autumn Glory Festival with food, parades, concerts, band competitions. It is the glorious start of the holiday season when the whole town is decorated in the bright and warm colors of the fall.