Mc Henry, Maryland Short-Term Rental Market
McHenry (Deep Creek Lake), MD STRs averaged $470/night in April 2026, with 11.7% ADR growth year-over-year and $5,909/mo 2025 full-year average.
Quick Answer: Mc Henry, Maryland is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 53%. average monthly revenue is $7,977. average daily rate is $594. the top operator is Railey Vacations with 586 listings. market score is 85/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Deep Creek regional market, which includes Mc Henry. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Mc Henry.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
McHenry is a community of 1,147 residents in Garrett County, Maryland, situated at the north end of Deep Creek Lake, Maryland’s largest freshwater lake at 3,900 acres with 65 miles of shoreline. The area draws an estimated 1.4 million visitors per year who spend approximately $315 million. Visitors travel primarily from the Baltimore/Washington DC corridor, Pittsburgh, and northern Virginia/West Virginia for lake recreation in summer and skiing at Wisp Resort in winter.
The STR market covers approximately 2,007 listings in the latest snapshot, concentrated almost entirely in entire-place units (1,990 of 2,007, or 99.2%). Private rooms account for 17 listings. The bedroom profile skews toward large cabins: five-or-more-bedroom units lead at 771 listings (38.4% of 2,006 bedroom-segmented), followed by four-bedroom (444, 22.1%), three-bedroom (437, 21.8%), two-bedroom (178, 8.9%), and one-bedroom (176, 8.8%). Cross-listing is dominant: 1,602 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 320 on Airbnb only, and 85 on VRBO only.
April 2026 falls in the spring shoulder between ski and lake seasons. The market posted an ADR of $470, occupancy of 31.1%, and RevPAR of $146.43, generating average monthly revenue of $3,895 per listing. Despite the modest occupancy, ADR rose 11.7% year-over-year and revenue grew 4.1%, while occupancy slipped 0.7 percentage points versus April 2025.
The 2025 full-year average was 39.7% occupancy and $537 ADR, producing $5,909/month per listing, up from 2024’s $5,141. Market scores: total 84.9 out of 100, investability 97.7, revenue growth 98.8 out of 100.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31% | $488 | $4,341 |
| Feb | 34% | $496 | $4,466 |
| Mar | 23% | $388 | $2,972 |
| Apr | 30% | $379 | $3,045 |
| May | 36% | $413 | $3,480 |
| Jun | 51% | $461 | $5,914 |
| Jul | 65% | $442 | $7,234 |
| Aug | 63% | $463 | $7,840 |
| Sep | 35% | $423 | $4,083 |
| Oct | 37% | $415 | $4,329 |
| Nov | 31% | $429 | $3,738 |
| Dec | 37% | $484 | $4,576 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Mc Henry
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Railey Vacations | 586 | 9,399 | ★ 4.62 |
| 2 | Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations by Vtrips | 450 | 12,093 | ★ 4.50 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 97 | 6,077 | ★ 4.43 |
| 4 | Red Barn Vacations | 91 | 1,644 | ★ 4.80 |
| 5 | Prime Vacation Rentals | 44 | 958 | ★ 4.60 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Mc Henry?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 176 |
| 2 bed | 178 |
| 3 bed | 437 |
| 4 bed | 444 |
| 5 bed | 771 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $597 |
| Luxury | $1,028 |
| Professionally Managed | $694 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,083 |
| Entire Place | $8,032 |
| House | $8,655 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 15.9% |
| vrbo | 4.2% |
| both | 79.8% |
Investment Analysis
The April 2026 average monthly revenue of $3,895 implies an annualized run rate of approximately $46,740. At a typical home value of $637,555, the gross yield calculates to approximately 7.3% ($46,740 divided by $637,555). For a more representative full-year view, the 2025 average of $5,909/month implies $70,908 annualized against the same home value, or approximately 11.1% gross yield. Both figures are before operating expenses, management fees, county accommodation taxes, and vacancy adjustments.
By revenue sub-type, house-type listings generated $4,161/month in April 2026, the highest sub-category. Entire-place listings averaged $3,922/month. Apartment-type listings averaged $1,803/month, well below market average, reflecting smaller and less premium units in that category.
By ADR tier, the spread is significant. The market-wide average is $470/night. Entire-home listings averaged $473/night (essentially equivalent to market-wide). Professionally managed listings averaged $589/night, a $119 or 25.3% premium. The luxury tier averaged $891/night, a $421 or 89.6% premium above the market average.
ADR has climbed from $308 in 2017 to $537 in 2025, a 74.4% cumulative increase, which drove the revenue growth score to 98.8 out of 100 in the latest market snapshot. The Garrett County TVRU licensing regime, which caps units at 8 bedrooms and requires biennial renewal, supports supply discipline.
The median list price for McHenry area homes was $723,333 in April 2026, with 71 homes for sale. The Zillow-sourced typical home value sits at $637,555. Investors should budget for the $50 biennial TVRU permit fee and ongoing 8% accommodation tax remittance.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
In April 2026, the average booking lead time for McHenry STRs was 52.1 days, meaning guests typically reserve about seven and a half weeks before arrival. Average length of stay was 3.2 nights.
A 52.1-day lead time is notably longer than many comparable STR markets, reflecting the planning behavior of leisure travelers reserving lakefront cabins for summer season stays and ski weekends at Wisp Resort. This extended window gives operators meaningful pricing flexibility: rates can be held firm or escalated as peak summer and winter dates fill, with last-minute discounts reserved for the spring shoulder months of March and April.
A 3.2-night average stay reflects the weekend-plus trip pattern common at drive-from-DC markets. Cabin-format properties with higher cleaning costs benefit from minimum-night policies (typically 2 to 3 nights) that protect per-stay margins without materially reducing bookings. Operators offering competitive rates for 5-to-7-night stays can capture the week-long summer vacation segment, which drives the highest-revenue months of July and August.
Combined, the 52.1-day lead time and 3.2-night average stay suggest the 45-to-60-day pre-arrival window as the primary zone for dynamic pricing decisions, particularly for the peak summer and holiday ski weeks.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals in McHenry are legal, well-established, and regulated by Garrett County under the Transient Vacation Rental Unit (TVRU) Licensing Ordinance, enacted March 1, 2006. Any home in the Deep Creek Lake Watershed Zoning District (which covers McHenry) rented for periods of 14 days or less must obtain a TVRU license.
The licensing process requires a zoning permit application ($50 fee), plus TVRU and Accommodation Tax applications. Once the zoning department approves, the unit is inspected for life-safety standards: proper bedroom egress, smoke and CO detectors, required off-street parking (one space per bedroom), bear-proof trash containers sized to occupancy, certified hot tub and pool operators if applicable, and annual well testing. Licenses are renewed biennially.
Occupancy is capped at 2 persons per bedroom plus 4 additional guests. Units are limited to 8 bedrooms. One- to five-bedroom conversions receive administrative approval; six- to eight-bedroom units require a special exception hearing; properties with 9 or more bedrooms cannot be licensed as TVRUs and fall under lodging facility regulations.
Owner-occupancy and primary-residence requirements do not apply, so non-resident investors can operate legally. Operators must collect and remit an 8% Garrett County accommodation tax monthly.
Enforcement is moderate. The TVRU framework has remained stable since 2006, with no major regulatory overhaul identified in the most recent 24 months. Investors should confirm the current fee schedule and any watershed-zoning amendments directly with Garrett County Planning & Land Management.
Market Comparison
McHenry’s April 2026 occupancy of 31.1% is below the U.S. STR median of 55%, reflecting April’s position as the spring shoulder between Deep Creek Lake’s two peak seasons. The 2025 full-year occupancy of 39.7% is also below the national median, a structural feature of a market with pronounced seasonal transitions.
ADR at $470 is substantially above the U.S. STR median of approximately $220, driven by the large-format lakefront cabins that dominate the inventory. RevPAR at $146.43 is notable: even at 31% April occupancy, the high nightly rate produces per-available-room revenue above many comparable seasonal markets.
Professional management dominates this market to a degree unusual in the dataset. The top two operators alone hold 1,036 of approximately 2,007 tracked listings (51.6%). Railey Vacations leads with 586 listings (9,399 reviews, 4.62 rating). Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations by Vtrips holds 450 listings (12,093 reviews, 4.50 rating). Vacasa manages 97 listings (6,077 reviews, 4.43 rating). Red Barn Vacations operates 91 listings (1,644 reviews, 4.80 rating). Prime Vacation Rentals holds 44 listings (958 reviews, 4.60 rating). The top five together account for 1,268 of 2,007 tracked listings (63.2%), making McHenry one of the most professionally managed vacation rental markets in this dataset.
Revenue growth scored 98.8 out of 100, reflecting the sustained ADR increases from $308 in 2017 to $537 in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mc Henry, Maryland
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