Deep Creek Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Maryland and was created in the 1920s as part of a hydroelectric project. Sweeping vistas of the Allegheny Mountain Range are seen in the distance and heavily forested hills and mountains surround the lake and rise steeply around the shorelines. Meadow Mountain is especially beautiful as it towers over the lake. The lake is quite large and has a very unique shape. There are many deep inlets and coves that spread like fingers, branching out all around the narrow core of the lake. These fingers provide many miles of shoreline to explore. Summer homes and residential homes line most of the shore, there is some commercial development at the north end of the lake, and a portion that is undeveloped exists on the eastern side where Deep Creek Lake State Park is situated. Despite the heavy development around the lake, there is still great forest scenery and opportunities for viewing wildlife, especially birds.