A Gettysburg Christmas in a Day
November 16, 2020
There is an abundance of ways to tour Gettysburg National Military Park. Each place takes visitors to unique vantage points and provides different perspectives of the three-day battle throughout the 6,000-acre park.
But often it’s the pace that can make the biggest difference, and that’s no more noticeable than by tackling the hallowed grounds by foot. While there are trails at Gettysburg National Military Park that some would consider a good hike, much of the battlefield’s pedestrians pathways are more in line with walking than hiking.
Touring the battlefield by foot not only gives travelers an up-close look at where history happened, the monuments, farms and cannon, but nature as well. The park is a great place to spot wildlife of all sorts including birds, foxes, reptiles, amphibians and insects.
While it’s not uncommon to see buses, bicycles and automobiles all leaving the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center for tours of the battlefield, it’s also a great place to grab your backpack*, fill up a water bottle and check out the park on your own two legs.
Directly across from the Visitor Center, pedestrians can head out and explore Cemetery Ridge, home of the Union Army’s encampment and battle lines during the second and third day of fighting in July 1863. One paved path leads north and takes visitors directly to the headquarters of Union Gen. George Meade, the Highwater Mark of the Confederacy as well as Soldiers’ National Cemetery, which has a great walking loop of its own, past the Lincoln Speech Memorial, Soldiers’ National Monument and other Union memorials and graves.
Another path ventures south and brings pedestrians to the middle of the Union stronghold with such stops as the Pennsylvania Memorial and Little Round Top, all using paved walkways and park roads. Along the way, you’ll pass by the Father Corby Monument, Weikert Farmhouse and the line of Union cannon marking the spot of the fierce fighting on July 3, 1863.
The Big Round Top trail is probably the most established on our list, and visitors often feel like they’ve been treated to something special when they’ve reached the summit, the highest point on the Gettysburg battlefield. The walk is short, but is a bit of a climb. At the top, there are five monuments, including one to the famous 20th Maine.
Cemetery Ridge was in the throes of battle on July 3, 1863, as Pickett’s Charge unfolded from the onslaught of Confederate soldiers marching nearly a mile from a westward ridgeline home to the southern army. Visitors can walk (or march) that same mile today by using a grass-mowed pathway from the Highwater Mark to the feet of Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Virginia Memorial on Seminary Ridge. There’s no better way to get a feel for that fateful day than to walk that mile, but you’ll need to imagine the extra 30-40 pounds on your back and the barrage of enemy fire.
Seminary Ridge, itself, provides a great, often shaded backdrop, for walking the battlefield. Along Confederate Avenue, walkers will get some great views of some of the battlefield’s most beautifully sculpted monuments, as well as a glimpse of the Spangler farmhouse and perhaps a horseback tour or two passing by. The monuments are more sparse along Confederate Avenue, but the walk is nice and there are plenty of places to take a rest under a shade tree.
East Cavalry Field, removed by a few miles from the rest of Gettysburg National Military Park, is vast and sometimes sparse, but several of the monuments to this battle are tucked into wooded areas that can only be appreciated on foot. By car, East Cavalry Field is a vast farm with a few monuments rising up from the fields, but a walk through this often-forgotten-about battlefield will give you a whole new perspective.
If you’re looking for a few more adventurous hikes, do what the Boy Scouts do, take the Johnny Reb or Billy Yank trails. These 4.2 and 10.3-mile hikes, respectively, offer a comprehensive look at Gettysburg’s history. Stop by the Visitor Center first for a guidebook on both trails and follow the instructions, step-by-step, for a glimpse of monuments, army headquarters, farms and other points of interest.
Regardless of when you decide to lace up your boots and take a hike or a long walk at Gettysburg National Military Park, be sure to apply insect repellant, stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes and clothing. With an abundance of monuments and other points of interest, it won’t be long before you’ve gone farther than you’ve planned.
Gettysburg National Military Park continues to add trails and walking paths to the park, with plans in the future to link more Civil War-era farms with key sections of the Gettysburg battlefield. In recent years, paths connecting the visitor center with Cemetery Ridge, a pedestrian walkway up the backside of Little Round Top, and a sidewalk linking Soldiers’ National Cemetery with the town of Gettysburg, have all helped visitors navigate these hallowed grounds on foot. The National Park Service offers some great tips to help you safely plan your visit.
*Please note that due to the events of 9/11/01, Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center no longer allows daypacks, backpacks or containers larger than 12″ by 12″ into the Museum & Visitor Center.
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Please send me information on Picketts’ Charge as I would like to retrace the Confederate charge by walking it.
Pickett’s Charge is most easily accessed off of West Confederate Avenue. Here is a downloadable map of the area at the time of battle – https://bit.ly/2HVmpfS. Please let us know if you would like any additional information!
If you have never been to Gettysburg, Pickett’s charge is still an open field. Start at the Virginia Monument (statue of General Lee at the top) and walk towards the General Meade statue. You will have to cross Emmitsburg Road, it’s in the middle of the charge. The National Park Service also maintains a neat, mowed path alongside a fence that leads from the Virginia Monument on West Confederate Avenue (Seminary Ridge) due east to the Emmitsburg Road in the direction of the Copse of Trees.
Thanks for this great information, Janice!
Enjoy to hear about Gettysburg concerning to what goes on and about its surroundings
We’re glad you enjoy our blog! Keep checking back for more Gettysburg stories.
Hi.
I’m visiting Gettysburg in September 2019. Staying at the Best Western Hotel. I will have 6 days to explore and although I will have a car I wonder if it is possible to do everything on foot. I’m reasonably fit and 10 miles a day is not a problem for me.
I welcome your thoughts.
Kind Regards
Roger Burt
Roger,
The Best Western is in a great location to be able to walk to many things! If you are able to do 10 miles a day, you should be fine! It is within a very short walking distance to many shops and restaurants and a little further, but still within walking distance to even more shops and restaurants around Lincoln Square (the center of downtown). You can also walk to certain sections of the battlefield from the Best Western, as well as to Soldiers’ National Cemetery. We hope this was helpful and that you have a great time! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
You can walk to most places in the town from the BW and the Billy Yank and Johnny Reb trails mentioned above are the longest in the park. It is rolling ground and some hills so a long hike can be strenuous. Keep in mind that there are no food and water facilities inside the park except for the Visitors Center and only a couple of bathroom stops so make sure you hike prepared. The visitors center is a great resource and you can get trail and hike info there. I still recommend doing the driving tour if you haven’t been before and there are 16 stops where you can get out to walk around and some of that can be pretty strenuous like around Little Round Top and Devils Den and the information from the tour is well worth it. Then you can always go back and hike in areas of interest.
These are all great tips, thanks for sharing Deb!
Hello. Can one hike from visitor center south to Devils Den, cross over through Peach Orchard, and up the Confederate lines to Pickett’s Charge, Cross back to Union lines? How long is a hike like this? Thanks
Yes, you can do that! From a quick look at Google maps, probably about 5-6 miles.
We are doing a motorcycle ride from Va to Pa . There are 9 couples so we will not have a car … What would you suggest as a way of transportation? …
Motorcycles are allowed on the battlefield. If you’re looking for an alternative to your motorcycles, you may tour by bicycle, bus, Segway, horseback, and more. Check out this list of ways to tour the battlefield – https://roadtogettysburg.com/10-ways-to-tour-the-gettysburg-battlefield/. Car rentals are also available.
Want to camp at artillery ridge. Can we walk to the high water mark with a dog? How far approx???? Any other great walks from artillery ridge? Thank you
The High Water Mark is within walking distance from Artillery Ridge Campground, but there is not a walking trail connecting the two – you would need to walk on the road for some of it. The walk would be just over a mile one way.
Scout trip in March. Can you suggest around 6-8 miles of hiking that would hit the big stuff? Devils Den, Round Top, etc?
Are there any Spangler’s still left in Gettysburg? George Spangler from the Spangler farm is my great (or great, great) uncle and I’m just
curious . I’m planning on taking the tour in the next couple of years. Thank you for your reply.
We are planning to stay over in October. Wanting to know if there will be Ranger Walks at that time.
Ranger walks typically are held in October. Please check our website closer to October for updates and changes due to COVID-19 – https://destinationgettysburg.com/safe-travel/. Enjoy your visit!
We are supposed to travel to Pennsylvania in Sept for my husband’s 55th high school reunion in Wilkes Barre, Penna. Unsure of travel as with the covid “scare” many states have imposed mandatory quarantines (we live in Texas)…If a quarantine is imposed we won’t make the reunion…Nevertheless if your governor does allow us to visit we plan to spend a couple of days in your area
If you are able to make it, enjoy your visit!
With the Visitor’s Center being closed, where can I get a guide book for the Johnny Reb and Billy Yank Trails?
I know they are available online but locally you could check out the Heritage Center – Museum or the Gettysburg Tour Center to see if they also carry them.
What would be the best trail to take High School students on?
Any of these would be great for High Schoolers! I would definitely recommend the Johnny Reb Trail for their comprehensive look at Gettysburg’s history.