The new owners of a pristine, 55-acre vacation spot in Rock Hall, Maryland, first called on landscape architect D. Miles Barnard simply to design a backyard pool. But given the challenges and unique properties of the largely wooded site—a peninsula with views of Davis Creek—the scope soon expanded.

The clients with two young daughters wanted an outdoor oasis where they could enjoy time away from their urban Philadelphia home. Though original owners had planted the grounds with native species, by the time Barnard visited, poorly tended, overgrown vegetation obstructed sightlines to the river. “It had all gotten a little too wild; the house had no connection to the greater landscape,” he remarks. “I wanted to preserve the natural feeling of the site but establish a functional space that would complement the architecture.”

Designed by late Chestertown architect Peter Newlin, the house assembles rustic pavilions with cedar siding and copper roofs; wide porches take in the views. Since the home lies in a protected Chesapeake Bay critical area where a 100-foot buffer zone prohibits building near or disturbing the shoreline,

Barnard “shoe-horned” the 55-foot-long pool near the home, its deep end on axis with one of the pavilions. A courtyard patio featuring a seating area and fire table nestles between the pool and the residence. Pennsylvania bluestone set in a running-bond pattern paves the terraces.

Given sloping terrain, the far side of the pool was positioned above ground and buttressed with a wall of bluestone veneer. Down a few steps, a new firepit awaits. “Walking from the pool to the firepit, the landscape begins to soften as the crisp bluestone gives way to irregular flagstone, boulders, gravel and native plants,” notes Barnard. “We used a lot of what was there plus Sweet Bay, Fothergilla, Viburnum and Oak Leaf hydrangea.”

Secluded by towering oak, maple and loblolly pine trees, the owners and their kids now enjoy downtime in their inspiring outdoor playground—primed for summer fun, yet in harmony with its lush environment.