Petersburg National Battlefield
Two hundred ninety-two days, eight offensives, over 70,000 casualties, U. S. Colored Troops, and the decline of Gen. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. U.S. forces cut off supplies to both Petersburg and the Confederate capital, Richmond. Today, the park preserves the sites of this pivotal campaign.
About under an hour from Richmond and 1.5 hours from Virginia Beach by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails | Daily · 9:00AM - Sunset |
| General Grant's Headquarters at City Point | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
| Five Forks Battlefield | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - Sunset |
| Nov 25, 2026Closed - Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed - Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed - New Years Day | Closed |
General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | Sunrise to Sunset |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed - Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed - New Years Day | Closed |
Five Forks Battlefield: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | Sunrise to Sunset |
| Nov 25, 2026Trails and Visitor Contact Station Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Trails and Visitor Center Closed - Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Eastern Front Visitor CenterPassport stamp
The Eastern Front Visitor Center is the park's main visitor center, including museum, gift shop, and 18 minute video. The Visitor Center is open every day. Hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Visitor Center is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
- Five Forks Visitor Contact StationPassport stamp
Contact station includes small exhibit area and 12-minute video.
- General Grant's Headquarters at City PointPassport stamp
Station is located in the former plantation home of the Eppes Family. When open, visitors can view a 15 minute video and tour the first floor of the home including a room with interpretive exhibits and two rooms with original 18th and 19th century furniture that belonged to the Eppes Family.
Explore
Things to do
- Visit Poplar Grove National Cemetery30 Minutes
Walk around Poplar Grove National Cemetery and reflect on the tragedy that befell the United States during the Civil War. Each simple headstone is a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.
Opens on the Park Service site - Drive the Eastern Front Tour Road30 Minutes
The Eastern Front Tour Road is 4-miles, one-way, and has eight stops encompassing the first couple months of General Grant's assault on Petersburg in 1864.
Opens on the Park Service site - Walk Around City Point30 Minutes
Walk around City Point to explore why this area was, and still is, a popular place for living along the rivers. The Eppes family established the Appomattox plantation and their home here as early as 1635, until 1976.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Battle of the Crater10/1410:30 AM · runs through Oct 30 · free
- Fort Stedman (Eastern Front Tour Stop #5)10/1402:30 PM · runs through Oct 30 · free
- Ranger's Choice - Ranger Program10/1502:30 PM · runs through Oct 31 · free
- Opening Assaults - Ranger Program10/1510:30 AM · runs through Oct 29 · free
- Annual Luminary Program at Poplar Grove National Cemetery11/1405:30 PM · free
- Wreaths Across America Day12/1911:30 AM · freePoplar Grove National Cemetery
News
- Grassland Restoration at Petersburg National Battlefield ↗2026-04-27
National Park Service staff will launch a major project to restore vital native grassland habitats starting on May 4, 2026.
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 4× · Osprey 2× · Helmeted Guineafowl 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 130 birds, 34 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsbald eagle · barred owl · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · great horned owl · merlin · osprey · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada goose · bufflehead · double-crested cormorant · great blue heron · green heron · lesser scaup · ruddy duck · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsBonaparte's gull · Caspian tern · Forster's tern · great black-backed gull · herring gull · killdeer · laughing gull · ring-billed gull · royal tern · spotted sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesmourning dove · northern bobwhite · wild turkey
Woodpeckersdowny woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · European starling · Louisiana waterthrush · Swainson's thrush · barn swallow · bay-breasted warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-throated blue warbler · black-throated green warbler · blackburnian warbler · blackpoll warbler · blue grosbeak · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · blue-headed vireo · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · brown-headed nuthatch · cedar waxwing · chestnut-sided warbler · chipping sparrow · common grackle · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern bluebird · eastern kingbird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · estern wood-pewee · field sparrow · fish crow · fox sparrow · golden-crowned kinglet · gray catbird · gray-cheeked thrush · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · hooded warbler · house finch · house sparrow · house wren · indigo bunting · magnolia warbler · mallard · northern cardinal · northern mockingbird · northern parula · northern rough-winged swallow · northern waterthrush · orchard oriole · ovenbird · palm warbler · pine warbler · prairie warbler · prothonotary warbler · purple martin · red-eyed vireo · red-winged blackbird · ruby-crowned kinglet · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · summer tanager · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · veery · warbling vireo · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · white-eyed vireo · white-throated sparrow · willow flycatcher · winter wren · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow warbler · yellow-bellied flycatcher · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-breasted chat · yellow-rumped warbler · yellow-throated vireo · yellow-throated warbler
Small mammalsAmerican beaver · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · eastern harvest mouse · eastern mole · golden mouse · hispid cotton rat · house mouse · least shrew · marsh rice rat · meadow vole · pygmy shrew · southeastern shrew · southern flying squirrel · southern short-tailed shrew · star-nosed mole · white-footed mouse · woodland vole
PredatorsAmerican mink · black bear · bobcat · coyote · gray fox · least weasel · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · river otter · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · feral cat · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks
All 15 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Winters are usually cool with temperatures averaging in the 40s. Spring and fall are mild. Summer can bring very hot and humid weather.
Questions people ask
Does Petersburg charge an entrance fee?
No. Petersburg is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Petersburg?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - Sunset, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Petersburg?
494,358 recreation visits in 2025, number 114 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Petersburg?
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 Petersburg established?
1926.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Petersburg?
Winters are usually cool with temperatures averaging in the 40s. Spring and fall are mild.
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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