Manassas National Battlefield Park
On July 21, 1861, two armies clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking Bull Run. Heavy fighting swept away any notion of a quick war. In August 1862, Union and Confederate armies converged for a second time on the plains of Manassas. The Confederates won a solid victory bringing them to the height of their power.
About under an hour from Washington and 1.5 hours from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Manassas National Battlefield Park is a fee free park
Hours
| Manassas National Battlefield Park | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
April draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Henry Hill Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Begin your visit to the park at the Henry Hill Visitor Center. Here, you can pick up a park brochure, trail guide, or learn about the daily schedule of interpretive programs.
- Brawner Farm Interpretive CenterPassport stamp
Begin your exploration of the Second Battle of Manassas at the Brawner Farm Interpretive Center. Here you will find an electronic map which provides the story and troop movements of Second Manassas.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Matthews Hill Loop Trail30-90 Minutes
The Matthews Hill Loop is a .9 mile trail that explores the ground over which the opening shots of the Battle of First Manassas occurred.
Opens on the Park Service site - Stone Bridge Loop Trail45-60 Minutes
The Stone Bridge Loop is a moderate 1.3 mile trail that follows along the Bull Run and explores the area where the first shots of the First Battle of Manassas were fired.
Opens on the Park Service site - Chinn Ridge Trail45-70 Minutes
Explore the grounds of Chinn Ridge that saw fighting at both First and Second Manassas. A paved path includes signage that explores the fighting in both battles. One way trail, must return along path to get back to parking lot.
Opens on the Park Service site - Second Manassas Trail3-4 Hours
This 6.6 mile loop trail explores key locations on the Second Manassas battlefield.
Opens on the Park Service site - First Manassas Trail2-4 Hours
A 5.4 mile circuit hike where you can explore the First Manassas battlefield in detail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Unfinished Railroad Loop Trail60-75 Minutes
Walk along a section of Jackson's line on the Unfinished Railroad where Federal soldiers momentarily breached the Confederate line on August 29, 1862.
Opens on the Park Service site
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- Brawner Farm Loop Trail45-75 Minutes
This trial traces the opposing lines of battle during the opening fighting of the Battle of Second Manassas on August 28, 1862.
Opens on the Park Service site - Sudley Loop Trail15-60 Minutes
The Sudley Road Loop is a .6 mile trail that takes visitors to one the few pre-war structures in the park, and the spot where 13,000 US troops crossed Bull Run on their way to the First Battle of Manassas.
Opens on the Park Service site - Henry Hill Loop Trail30-90 Minutes
The Henry Hill Loop is a easy 1.1 mile trail that encompasses the area of the most intense fighting during the First Battle of Manassas. Rickett's Battery, Jackson's Line, the Robinson Farm, and more are all part of this interpretive trail.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- National Park Service Announces Planned Interment of Civil War Soldier Recovered at Manassas National Battlefield Park ↗2026-08-13
The soldier was discovered during professional archaeological excavations conducted in March 2024 at the site of a Civil War field hospital within Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 15× · Red Fox 14× · Barred Owl 5× · Osprey 4× · Trumpeter Swan 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 135 birds, 26 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Great-horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican White Ibis · Black-crowned Night Heron · Canada Goose · Common Loon · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Common Snipe · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Dove · 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 · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clay-colored Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood Pewee · European Starling · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Lincoln's Sparrow · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Orchard Oriole · Philadelphia Vireo · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Gallinule · Purple Martin · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Song Sparrow · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Common Muskrat · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Vole · Southern Flying Squirrel · White-footed Deermouse · mole shrew
PredatorsAmerican Black Bear · American Mink · Common Gray Fox · Common Otter · Coyote · Cross Fox · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks
Weather & climate
Spring: Mild weather, with average low/high temperatures from 33 F to 75 F. Variable rainfall, with May being the wettest month of the year on average. Summer: Warm and humid weather, with average temperatures from 61 F to 88 F. Variable rainfall, with occasional downpours during storms. Fall: Mild weather, with average temperatures from 35 F to 79 F. Variable rainfall. Winter: Mild to cool weather, with average temperatures from 24 F to 47 F. Annual snowfall averages about 22 inches.
Questions people ask
Does Manassas charge an entrance fee?
No. Manassas is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Manassas?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Manassas?
473,482 recreation visits in 2025, number 117 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Manassas?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 4G LTE. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Manassas?
Spring: Mild weather, with average low/high temperatures from 33 F to 75 F. Variable rainfall, with May being the wettest month of the year on average.
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.
