The 5 Best Waterfalls in Maryland
Maryland is compact waterfall country, so here's the honest number: five great ones, not a padded ten. Garrett County's Youghiogheny gorge holds three on a single mile of trail — where Edison and Ford once camped — and the other two anchor opposite ends of the state: a schist free-faller from a Disney film, and a greenstone cascade with a boardwalk built for everyone.
Know the system: Maryland state parks charge per person, not per car, and the popular falls now run summer-weekend reservation systems. Book before you drive.
Muddy Creek: the state's tallest free-fall at 53 feet, under hemlocks that hosted Edison's camping trips.
Directions, season & rules for Muddy Creek Falls →
Cunningham: 78 cascading feet with a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk to the base.
Directions, season & rules for Cunningham Falls →
Kilgore: the Tuck Everlasting falls — 17 feet of schist, a creek wade, and 28 parking spots of deliberate wildness.
Directions, season & rules for Kilgore Falls →
Swallow: the Youghiogheny's double ledge with the park's swimming hole.
Directions, season & rules for Swallow Falls →
Lower Swallow: the quiet quarter of the Canyon Trail's four falls — yours alone.
Directions, season & rules for Lower Swallow Falls →Rankings reflect our research, not a verdict on your trip — every spot page takes community ratings and conditions reports, and that's where the real answer to "is it worth it?" lives.