Maryland Route 38

Maryland Route 38
Kitzmiller Road
Maryland Route 38 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	5.67 mi (9.12 km)
Existed:	1927 – present
Tourist routes:	Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end:	WV 42 in Kitzmiller
North end:	MD 135 near Kitzmiller
Location
Counties:	Garrett
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate US State Scenic Byways ← MD 37 MD 39 →

Maryland Route 38 (MD 38) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Kitzmiller Road, the state highway runs 5.67 miles (9.12 km) from the West Virginia state line at the Potomac River in Kitzmiller, where the highway continues south as West Virginia Route 42 (WV 42), north to MD 135 on top of Backbone Mountain. MD 38 connects Kitzmiller with the rest of Garrett County and across the Potomac River to Blaine and Elk Garden in western Mineral County. The state highway was constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. MD 38 originally ran from U.S. Route 219 (US 219) near Thayerville through Deer Park and Altamont to Kitzmiller. The state highway was truncated at Backbone Mountain when MD 135 was extended west to Oakland in the mid-1950s.

MD 38 begins in the town of Kitzmiller at the Kitzmiller Bridge across the Potomac River. The highway continues on the other side of the river as WV 42 in Blaine. After passing Main Street, MD 38 begins its steep, curvy ascent of Backbone Mountain. The southbound direction of the state highway features a mandatory truck stop to check brakes at the top of the 2-mile (3.2 km) hill. Beyond the truck pull-off, MD 38 continues uphill at a more gentle gradient all the way to its northern terminus at MD 135 (Maryland Highway) on the ridgeline of Backbone Mountain.