Muddy Creek Falls is a 40-foot plunge waterfall on Muddy Creek in Swallow Falls State Park, Garrett County, Maryland, about 6.5 miles north of Oakland. The Maryland Geological Survey calls it the state's highest free-falling waterfall.
The falls
Muddy Creek drops in a single plunge over a ledge of Pottsville Formation sandstone, cross-bedded rock about 300 million years old that sits on softer siltstone and shale. Lidar data puts the drop at about 40 feet; earlier surveys and Maryland DNR use 53 feet, and a geological source gives roughly 60 feet.
Getting there
The falls are inside Swallow Falls State Park, 2470 Maple Glade Road, Oakland, managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The park's 1.25-mile Canyon Trail passes Muddy Creek Falls and the other waterfalls in the park. Day-use hours are 8 a.m. to sunset.
In 2026 the entrance fee is $3 for Maryland residents and $5 for nonresidents during the summer season and on May, September and October weekends, and $3 or $5 per vehicle on other off-season days. Summer weekends and holidays require a timed day-use reservation, which carries an extra charge.
When to go
The trails turn slippery in wet weather and winter brings snow and ice.
On site
An accessible overlook of Muddy Creek Falls won an American Trails award in 2006. From May 23 to September 7, 2026, pets were not allowed in the day-use area or on the Canyon Trail. In July 2026 a visitor who fell near the falls had to be hoisted out by a Maryland State Police helicopter and taken to a hospital; stay on the trail and off the wet rock.
History and name
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone camped at what is now Swallow Falls from July 27 to 31, 1921.
Nearby
Lower Swallow Falls on the Youghiogheny River is about 0.1 mile away, and Swallow Falls and Toliver Falls are each about 0.4 mile. Gap Falls, also on the Youghiogheny, is about 6.2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.