FLINTSTONE, MD. – Spotting a whitetail deer in the woodlands surrounding Rocky Gap Casino Resort is easy. Snapping a photo of one of the elusive creatures is not as simple. Once they see a human, the deer won’t stay around very long.
During an early morning mile-long walk along a portion of Lake Habeeb’s Lakeside Loop Trail, four deer crossed my path. By the time I was able to switch my iPhone to camera mode, the deer vanished.
Despite long odds for a deer photo, the area surrounding Rocky Gap Casino Resort does not disappoint. 
Rocky Gap Casino Resort, operated by Las Vegas-based Golden Entertainment, Inc., offers guests the opportunity to play in the property’s casino. The gaming area has 663 slot machines and 17 table games. Guests can dine at one of the four award-winning restaurants – such as LB’s Place or Signatures Bar & Grill – and stay in one of the 198 AAA 4-Diamond Award® hotel rooms.
However, the picturesque Western Maryland setting of Rocky Gap Casino Resort – located near the entrance to the 3,000-acre Rocky Gap State Park – offers guests a rural get-away experience not found in any of the state’s other gaming properties.
The resort – located two hours west of the Baltimore/Washington D.C. corridor and two hours east of Pittsburgh – operates a dockside facility that connects to the 243-acre Lake Habeeb. Water sports enthusiasts can rent pedal boats, kayaks, canoes and electric motor boats. On the lake, anglers can catch a wide variety of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, and rainbow trout.
There are several hiking trails located throughout the state park, which connect back to Rocky Gap Casino Resort. The five-mile Homesite Trail runs up the area’s prominent Evitts Mountain, taking the hiker through a steady climb to the mountain’s peak.
Rocky Gap Casino Resort offers easy access to the four-mile Lakeside Trail, which surrounds Lake Habeeb – created in 1970 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an earthen dam to impound the Rocky Gap Run. The hiking trail crosses the dam, where hikers can take photos of the hotel-casino from atop the structure.
Rocky Gap Casino Resort is home to Maryland’s only Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole championship golf course. The spectacular layout, which opened in 1999, takes golfers through a lush woodland terrain on a challenging, yet rewarding, par-72 layout. The golf course has hosted events for the PGA Assistants and the PGA Seniors sectionals, as well as the Potomac Cup, where Maryland’s best amateur golfers square off with the best amateur golfers from Virginia.
When the day is done, Rocky Gap Casino Resort guests can relax along the Lakeside Terrace, a scenic and relaxing outdoor s
etting with a backdrop that includes Evitts Mountain and Lake Habeeb.
Lakeside Terrace has enhanced seating and lounging areas – including Adirondack Chairs along the Lake Habeeb shoreline. Seating on the terrace deck surrounds several decorative fire pits. There is also a large seating space under the pergola. The full-service Terrace Bar is open seasonally and offers a variety of craft and domestic beer choices, spirits and frozen drinks.
Skylar Dice, general manager of Rocky Gap Casino Resort, has an easy sell to outdoor lovers. The property is located in one of the most beautiful outdoor settings in Western Maryland and all of the United States. At Lakeside Terrace, guests will occasionally catch a glimpse of a Bald Eagle or a Whitetail Deer. The relaxing location enhances Rocky Gap’s many entertainment amenities.
This article first appeared on the Golden Entertainment website, www.goldenent.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
