The Youghiogheny drains an area encompassing approximately 397 square miles in Maryland. In its first 20 miles, the river meanders through a pastoral setting of farms and wooded lots occasionally paralleled by country roads or railroad tracks. North of the town of Oakland, the character of the river changes as the river valley narrows, deepens, and becomes heavily forested. From Swallow Falls to Hoyes Run, the Youghiogheny enters a stretch of falls and rapids with a drop in elevation of 280 feet in four miles.

At Hoyes Run, a relatively smooth stretch of river can be found all the way to Gap Falls, just north of Sang Run. At that point, the most rugged and inaccessible section of the river runs wild and free to the town limits of Friendsville, dropping in elevation an average of over 100 feet per mile. 

The "Yough" was established as Maryland's first Wild and Scenic River in 1976. The river offers excellent opportunities to catch trout and smallmouth bass. River otters, mink, and ospreys also call this river home.