Deep Creek Lake Winter Trip

For Christmas, I got Johnny a surprise trip to Deep Creek Lake for winter adventures! Okay, so it was supposed to be a surprise, but I told him about it a little sooner.

When we got engaged in October, we agreed not to make any ‘crazy’ expenditures in the next year. Well, I had already purchased our stay and 2 activities via Groupon, so I had to tell him it was coming. He was thrilled — neither of us had ventured to Deep Creek before this trip.

It took us about 4 hours of driving to get there (not including the hour we stopped to have dinner with Johnny’s Aunt Kim! I’m still dreaming about that potato soup…). I love road trips! At points during the trip, we were super close to both West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

We got to the lodge pretty late in the evening — the plan was to rest up and then head out to explore the area the next morning (oh, did I mention we were both sick during this trip? Thank goodness for DayQuil and NyQuil).

We stayed at LakeStar Lodge in McHenry. Our room in the lodge was super comfy! And everything looked newly-renovated.

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful day! Perfect for snowy adventures. This was the view from our balcony – all the rooms at LakeStar Lodge have a lake and mountain view.

I started the day with a quick picnic table plank (Stop&Drop Yoga, please!), and then we headed to Canoe on the Run for breakfast.

I had the most delicious pumpkin chai latte followed by granola and milk. We shared this amazing butterscotch oat bar!

After filling up at breakfast, we were ready for our first adventure of the day: outdoor ice skating! It had been YEARS since I laced up ice skates. It took a loop around the edge before I felt confident enough to glide along. I loved the outdoor rink!

All bundled up for our winter adventure!

We spent the morning ice skating and watching the snow tubing. I highly recommend reserving your snow tubing time — I called a few days in advance (they won’t let you schedule more than 6 days prior to your desired date), and I’m so glad that I did because snow tubing was completely BOOKED for the day. We had a ‘launch time’ of 1:00, but I think if we go back, I’ll reserve a morning time since it’s less crowded.

You start by grabbing a tube, and then heading toward the conveyer belt incline that pulls you up the hill.

Then you wait in line, and as soon as the person in front of you clears the slide, you’re good to go! This was the first snow tubing experience for both of us, and I think the first time down the slide was super scary, but it definitely got better/easier on the next time down the hill. Johnny was a pro and even went down the slide on his stomach in the tube! We ended up ordering the professional photos from the slide — I didn’t see them taking pictures, but they got a great one of each of us! Stay tuned for those 😉

After snow tubing, we got in the car and drove up Overlook Pass so we could see the lake from the top of the mountain. So beautiful. I can’t wait to return in the spring/summertime to see more of the state park and maybe go on a camping/hiking adventure!