Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

My first memory of a park ranger was when I visited Chancellorsville Battlefield and went on a tour. I was 12 and was just developing my love of history – specifically the Civil War – and was on a grand tour of battlefields as we traveled to Pennsylvania from Florida. This was not the first battlefield we had already visited, but it was the first one where I felt a connection to the story the park ranger was telling. I felt like I was part of the group of soldiers who stumbled upon General Jackson and shot him, only to realize friendly fire had condemned him to death. Later, when we visited the house where Jackson was placed as he slowly died of pneumonia, and I was able to ask all my follow up questions from the battle. The ranger there was so informative, so inspiring, I was hooked! I thought they did an excellent job of bringing history to life. Isn’t that the point of visiting a park?!

Today, I like to visit battlefields for their many hiking trails. Most battlefields are driving/scenic road parks (where you drive from point to point, usually within a small town or city) or a large swatch of land parks (various waysides telling you specific areas where an Army performed a specific part of the battle).

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park – Chancellorsville History Trail
Don’t be confused! The Battle of Chancellorsville is part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP, but is a completely separate part of the park with its own visitor center to preserve the history of this Civil War battle. This part of the park is my absolute favorite – and is fascinating to walk instead of drive. The Chancellorsville History Loop Trail is 3.2 miles, mostly through a heavily wooded area. The trail is small and hard to pass slower hikers, so be aware of your surroundings and make sure to ‘pull over’ if you realize someone is behind you at a faster pace! I spent most of the hike watching my footing, as the tree roots and rocks along the path raise up considerably and tripping is a higher risk. Being in the woods, though, was very serene. Though I was watching my footing, I was also looking around, imagining I was a soldier walking through the area. Hot, humid, and densely forested – that probably did not make for such a great time, even in 1863. Be aware, there are no signs in the areas that connect to a parking lot or to indicate a turn. I ended up asking a fellow hiker to help point me in the right direction when the trail spit me out into an open field! When in the woods, it is really easy to follow. I highly recommend that if you have a couple hours, you take the time to hike this incredible trail! There were historical markers along the path that indicated specific parts of the battle. If you don’t already know much about the battle, reading these along the way will help orient you. Make sure to pack water and sun tan lotion!

Manassas National Battlefield Park – First Manassas Hike
This 5.4 mile hike has been the longest hike I’ve done this summer. I had initially wanted to connect with the Second Manassas hike, which can be done, but the signage was not that clear at the intersection. By the time I realized I was still on First Manassas, I was almost done with mile 5. Very much worth doing separately, though. Most of the hike is through the fields occupied by Stonewall Jackson and his troops, and the iconic location where Jackson earned his nickname is marked with a statue of him on horseback. I found the hike peaceful in the morning, and if you take some time to stop and read the informative waysides, educational! There are many diversional trails along the way, so take care to look at each intersection and make sure you are still on your intended path. This trail was mostly along large fields overlooking rolling hills. This battlefield was literally in the backyards of Virginians, many who did not take the war serious – at least the First Manassas. Those citizens were caught up in the Union retreat and hampered efforts by the Confederates to pursue them.

Antietam National Battlefield- Bloody Lane Trail
Like Manassas, I’ve visited Antietam many times in my life so far. One of the most iconic spots is the Observation Tower. This tower was built to help give a better viewpoint for visitors to see the entirety of the landscape. Reading about the severity and depth of this particular battle is hard to understand by standing in a Visitor Center or next to a parcel of land. Taking in the view from the top, a visitor can now truly envision the battle as they read about the strategic troop movement, and subsequent destruction. This open air classroom is an excellent way for even young visitors to connect to the past. This trail was a bit difficult to follow – I eventually asked a couple who were walking by, who ended up being locals and knew the path well. The Observation Tower is just a small detour along this trail, and since it is a loop, you see and learn about multiple things without repeat. Take your time and enjoy this hike – you definitely need to download a map or ask a ranger for a paper copy! If hiking is not your thing, for this battlefield, I also recommend the drive. Stop by the Visitor Center to get more information on the battlefield drive. You will be able to cover more ground with a vehicle, and you’ll see more exciting landmarks than the many fields I saw during my hike.

Monocacy National Battlefield – Ford Loop Trail
I have never been to Monocacy before, and as it is mostly a drive to location, it is a bit difficult to navigate by walking. Unlike Antietam and Manassas, the entirety of the battlefield is not connected under National Park regulations. The driving tour brings you down many open roads that locals and tourists are using that are not necessarily looking to be part of the National Park tour, so it doesn’t have the typical ‘park’ feel. The Visitor Center is small, but everyone is friendly, and the hikes do have trailheads immediately next to a parking lot for ease of start and finish. The Ford Loop Trail is at stop #2 for the driving tour. There was a lot of on-going construction, as evident from the large tractors and machinery in use while I was trying to hike! I did go through the museum for this battlefield, and while it was very informational, it was not necessarily something I’d send a family or younger kids to as they will probably lose their focus. I ended up skipping parts of the museum – mostly because I knew the history already – but did pause at the parts where they describe the flags of the Confederacy. It was interesting how they tried to keep that part of history relevant – as flags very must are when it comes to war and battle – but try to remain inclusive. They did a pretty good job trying to make sure they keep the history without being offensive.

It has been great connecting again with the Civil War by hiking the battlefields while I am staying in Maryland/Virginia. Even if history or the Civil War is not your thing, consider taking a hike as a motivation to visiting a battlefield in the future. Many parks offer immersive ways to connect to nature, as well as history, and you will find that battlefields are enjoyed by many for their trails!