Gettysburg National Military Park
The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".
About 1 hours from Baltimore and 1.5 hours from Washington by car.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗David Wills House Closure
The David Wills House is currently closed. The house will temporarily reopen from November 16 to 19, 2026. Please visit our David Wills House web page for more information and a 3D tour of the house.
- ClosurePennsylvania Memorial Observation Deck Closed
A renovation project for the nearby Comfort Station requires electrical service to be shut off. This shut off affects lighting in the spiral staircase leading up to the Pennsylvania Memorial observation deck. The staircase is now too dark to maintain visitors’ safety. The observation deck will remain closed until the Comfort Station project is complete in early-to-mid November.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
The Gettysburg battlefield and visitor center are free to visit. There is a fee for the film "A New Birth of Freedom" narrated by Morgan Freeman, the Cyclorama painting, and Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. Gettysburg National Military Park does not sell America the Beautiful Annual or Senior Passes.
Hours
| Battlefield Hours | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Museum and Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center is the place to begin your visit to the battlefield. Here you will learn how to visit the park and what to see around Gettysburg. For visitor safety, all bags are subject to inspection.
- David Wills House ↗Passport stamp
The home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills was the center of the immense clean-up process after the Battle of Gettysburg and where President Lincoln put the finishing touches on his Gettysburg Address.
Explore
Things to do
- Gettysburg Living History Schedule
From the roar of artillery to the flash of bayonets, living history demonstrations at Gettysburg National Military Park help bring the past to life. On select days, Civil War living historians encamp on the Gettysburg battlefield.
Opens on the Park Service site - Ranger Programs at Gettysburg20-180 Minutes
For daily interpretive ranger programs beginning August 10, visitors should check in at the National Park Service information desk for more details.
Opens on the Park Service site - Campfire Programs at Gettysburg45-60 Minutes
Rangers present evening campfire talks on a wide variety of topics on the Battle of Gettysburg and the American Civil War. Programs take place at the Pitzer Woods Amphitheater, near Auto Tour Stop #6.
Opens on the Park Service site - Gettysburg Battle Walks120-180 Minutes
Throughout the Summer and Fall, Gettysburg National Military Park staff lead special battle walks that explore aspects of the history of the battlefield in more detail than the usual daily ranger programs.
Opens on the Park Service site - Eisenhower Ranger Programs
Join Eisenhower National Historic Site Park Rangers for free tours of the Eisenhower home and other engaging and free ranger programming in Gettysburg.
Opens on the Park Service site - Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center2-3 Hours
The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center is the place to begin your visit to the battlefield. Here visitors will find information on how to visit the park and what to see around Gettysburg.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 11Hide
- 3D Virtual Tours
Want to take a virtual behind the scenes tour of historic buildings at Eisenhower National Historic Site and Gettysburg National Military Park? Access our 3D Virtual Tours here.
Opens on the Park Service site - Eisenhower Junior Ranger Program
Become a Junior Ranger at Eisenhower National Historic Site!
Opens on the Park Service site - Horseback Riding Trails at Gettysburg2-4 Hours
Horseback Riding tours on the southern half of the Gettysburg Battlefield
Opens on the Park Service site - Gettysburg Junior Ranger Program1-2 Hours
Discover the history of Gettysburg National Military Park through the Junior Ranger Program, a project for our young visitors to have fun while they learn about the importance and history that is Gettysburg.
Opens on the Park Service site - Bike Rules and Regulations on the Battlefield
Biking
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- 09:00 AM · freeAuto Tour Stop 13. Spangler’s Spring
- 11:00 AM · freeGettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center
- Campfire Program10/2306:30 PM · freePitzer Woods Amphitheater, West Confederate Avenue
- Battle Walk10/2410:00 AM · freeBarlow’s Knoll
- 10:00 AM · freeDavid Wills House
- 10:00 AM · freeGettysburg National Cemetery
News
- United States Mint to Release Special 250th Anniversary Gettysburg Address Quarter on October 21 ↗2026-10-08
On Oct. 21, 2026, Gettysburg National Military Park, in partnership with the United States Mint and the Gettysburg Foundation, will host a public ceremony at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center at 11 a.m. to…
- Grassland Restoration Project Begins at Gettysburg National Military Park ↗2026-05-08
A 160-acre grassland restoration project will begin May 9, 2026, in areas surrounding the Pennsylvania Monument and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial of the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Dobbin HouseBuilding · Gettysburg · 0.5 mi
- Lincoln CemeterySite · Gettysburg · 0.7 mi
- Adams County CourthouseBuilding · Gettysburg · 1 mi
- Gettysburg ArmoryBuilding · Gettysburg · 1 mi
Guidebooks for Gettysburg National Military Park
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Local history books for Gettysburg National Military Park
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 157 birds, 25 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Barn owl · Barred owl · Black vulture · Broad-winged hawk · Cooper's hawk · Eastern screech owl · Great horned owl · Northern harrier · Northern saw-whet owl · Osprey · Red-shouldered hawk · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Short-eared owl · Turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada goose · Double-crested cormorant · Great blue heron · Great egret · Green heron · Tundra Swan · Wood duck · Yellow-crowned night-heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · Common snipe · Killdeer · Laughing gull · Ring-billed gull · Spotted sandpiper · Upland sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning dove · Ring-necked pheasant · Rock dove · Ruffed grouse · Wild turkey
WoodpeckersDowny woodpecker · Hairy woodpecker · Northern flicker · Pileated woodpecker · Red-bellied woodpecker · Red-headed woodpecker · Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney swift · Ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · American tree sparrow · Baltimore oriole · Barn swallow · Bay-breasted warbler · Belted kingfisher · Black-and-white warbler · Black-billed cuckoo · Black-capped chickadee · Black-throated blue warbler · Black-throated green warbler · Blackburnian warbler · Blackpoll warbler · Blue jay · Blue-gray gnatcatcher · Blue-headed vireo · Blue-winged warbler · Bobolink · Brown creeper · Brown thrasher · Brown-headed cowbird · Canada warbler · Cape May warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cedar waxwing · Cerulean warbler · Chestnut-sided warbler · Chipping sparrow · Common grackle · Common nighthawk · Common raven · Common yellowthroat · Dark-eyed junco · Eastern bluebird · Eastern kingbird · Eastern meadowlark · Eastern phoebe · Eastern towhee · Eastern wood-pewee · European starling · Field sparrow · Fish crow · Fox sparrow · Golden-crowned kinglet · Grasshopper sparrow · Gray catbird · Gray-cheeked thrush · Great crested flycatcher · Henslow's sparrow · Hermit thrush · Hooded warbler · Horned lark · House finch · House sparrow · House wren · Indigo bunting · Kentucky warbler · Least flycatcher · Louisiana waterthrush · Magnolia warbler · Mallard · Marsh wren · Nashville warbler · Northern cardinal · Northern mockingbird · Northern parula · Northern rough-winged swallow · Orange-crowned warbler · Orchard oriole · Ovenbird · Palm warbler · Philadelphia vireo · Pine siskin · Pine warbler · Prairie warbler · Purple finch · Purple martin · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-eyed vireo · Red-winged blackbird · Rose-breasted grosbeak · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Rusty blackbird · Savannah sparrow · Scarlet tanager · Song sparrow · Swainson's thrush · Swamp sparrow · Tennessee warbler · Tree swallow · Tufted titmouse · Veery · Vesper sparrow · Warbling vireo · White-breasted nuthatch · White-crowned sparrow · White-eyed vireo · White-throated sparrow · Willow flycatcher · Wilson's warbler · Winter wren · Wood thrush · Worm-eating warbler · Yellow warbler · Yellow-billed cuckoo · Yellow-rumped warbler · Yellow-throated vireo
Small mammalsMaryland shrew · deer mouse · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · meadow jumping mouse · meadow vole · muskrat · northern short-tailed shrew · southern flying squirrel · white-footed mouse · woodland vole
PredatorsAmerican mink · gray fox · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · river otter · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Batsbig brown bat · little brown myotis · northern myotis · red bat
Also on the checklistwoodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
https://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/weather.htm
Questions people ask
Does Gettysburg charge an entrance fee?
No. Gettysburg is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Gettysburg?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Gettysburg?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Gettysburg.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Gettysburg right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: David Wills House Closure; Pennsylvania Memorial Observation Deck Closed.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Gettysburg?
730,398 recreation visits in 2025, number 92 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Gettysburg?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Gettysburg established?
1895. It covers about 620 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Gettysburg?
Https://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/weather.htm
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
More in Pennsylvania
