Monocacy National Battlefield
During the summer of 1864, the Confederacy carried out a bold plan to turn the tide of the Civil War in their favor. They planned to capture Washington, DC and influence the election of 1864. On July 9, however, Federal soldiers outnumbered three to one, fought gallantly along the banks of the Monocacy River in an effort to buy time for Union reinforcement to arrive in Washington, DC.
About under an hour from Washington and 1 hours from Baltimore by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Monocacy National Battlefield | Daily · 7:30AM - Sunset |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 7:30AM - Sunset |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
A bookstore, public restrooms, and an interactive museum are located within the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is open Thursday through Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
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
- Ignite your Imagination at Monocacy National Battlefield1-4 Hours
Monocacy National Battlefield encompasses several centuries of history, which reflect events of both national and local significance.
Opens on the Park Service site - Picnicking At Monocacy
Add a picnic to your exploration of the battlefield. Monocacy National Battlefield has picnic tables at several locations throughout the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hikes at the Worthington Farm30-160 Minutes
Take a hike at Worthington Farm! Three trails at Worthington Farm provide options for exploring.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike The Thomas Farm Trail30-120 Minutes
Take a hike at Thomas Farm! Two trails at the Thomas Farm provide options for exploring.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore L'Hermitage20-120 Minutes
Explore the late 18th century slave plantation known as L'Hermitage.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- New Monument Trail Invites Visitors to Walk the Ground Where Federal Soldiers Lost the Battle but Helped Win the War ↗2026-08-24
Monocacy National Battlefield is marking America in Motion Monday and the 2026 National Park Week with the opening of a new one-mile Monument Trail at Thomas Farm.
- Monocacy National Battlefield Brings “The Battle That Saved Washington” To Life ↗2026-07-01
Walk the ground where a small Federal force helped save the nation’s capital. Monocacy National Battlefield will commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Monocacy with four days of free public…
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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 Mid-Atlantic
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 41× · Belted Kingfisher 5× · Red Fox 5× · Osprey 5× · Peregrine Falcon 2× · Mute Swan 2× · Eastern Screech-Owl 1× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 95 birds, 24 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Great Horned Owl · Northern Harrier · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Black Duck · Canada Goose · Common Merganser · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Lesser Scaup · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pigeon · Mourning Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood Pewee · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Great Crested Flycatcher · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Mallard · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Orchard Oriole · Philadelphia Vireo · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Scarlet Tanager · Song Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Wood Thrush · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · brown creeper
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Common Muskrat · Deer Mouse · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · White-footed Deermouse · mole shrew
PredatorsCross Fox · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat · Hoary Bat · Keen's Myotis · Little Brown Bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks
All 16 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Spring (March - May) Temperatures: Average high is 67 degrees with a low of 53 degrees Summer (June - August) Temperatures: Average high is 87 degrees with a low of 65 degrees Fall (September - November) Temperatures: Average high is 68 degrees with a low of 48 degrees Winter (December - February) Temperatures: Average high is 45 degrees with a low of 27 degrees (Source: www.usclimatedata.com)
Questions people ask
Does Monocacy charge an entrance fee?
No. Monocacy is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Monocacy?
Standard hours are 7:30AM - Sunset, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Monocacy?
116,902 recreation visits in 2025, number 205 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Monocacy?
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
What is the weather like at Monocacy?
Spring (March - May) Temperatures: Average high is 67 degrees with a low of 53 degrees Summer (June - August) Temperatures: Average high is 87 degrees with a low of 65 degrees Fall (September - November) Temperatures: Average high is 68 degrees with a low of 48 degrees Winter (December - February) Temperatures: 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.
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