Richmond National Battlefield Park
The center of Confederate manufacturing fueled a modern war, one of the South’s largest hospitals gave care to the sick and wounded, and armies battled on open fields and in miles of defensive earthworks. From 1861 to 1865, Richmond’s fate would determine America’s future.
About under an hour from Richmond and 1.5 hours from Virginia Beach by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
There are no entrance fees to any of the Richmond National Battlefield Park sites.
Hours
| Trails and Battlefield Park Grounds | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
October draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Chimborazo Medical Museum ↗Passport stamp
Visitor center focusing on Civil War medical practices. Exhibits and 17 minute orientation film.
- Cold Harbor Battlefield Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Small visitor contact station with maps and interpretive displays about the 1862 Battle of Gaines's Mill and the 1864 Battle of Cold Harbor. Ranger programs offered daily during the summer season. Special Programs: June - Anniversary of the Battle of Cold Harbor.
- Fort Harrison Visitor Center
Closed for 2026.
No campgrounds, no webcams or things to do 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
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Ranger Talk at Cold Harbor Battlefield10/1411:00 AM · runs through Dec 29 · freeCold Harbor Battlefield Visitor Center,5515 Anderson-Wright Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111.
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 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 7× · Osprey 2× · Helmeted Guineafowl 1× · Belted Kingfisher 1× · Barred Owl 1× · Coyote 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 153 birds, 24 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Cooper's hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · bald eagle · barred owl · black vulture · golden eagle · great horned owl · northern harrier · northern saw-whet owl · osprey · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican wigeon · Canada goose · blue-winged teal · bufflehead · double-crested cormorant · great blue heron · great egret · green heron · green-winged teal · hooded merganser · pied-billed grebe · ring-necked duck · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · Caspian tern · Lesser Yellowlegs · Ring-billed Gull · greater yellowlegs · killdeer · laughing gull · least sandpiper · solitary sandpiper · spotted sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pigeon · mourning dove · northern bobwhite · wild turkey
WoodpeckersYellow-bellied Sapsucker · downy woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker · red-headed woodpecker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American Cliff Swallow · American Pipit · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore oriole · Blue-headed Vireo · Bobolink · Canada warbler · Cape May warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Eared Poorwill · European starling · Horned Lark · House Sparrow · Kentucky warbler · Louisiana waterthrush · Mangrove Warbler · Myrtle Warbler · Northern Waterthrush · Tennessee warbler · Whip-poor-will · bank swallow · barn swallow · bay-breasted warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-necked stilt · black-throated blue warbler · black-throated green warbler · blackpoll warbler · blue grosbeak · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · common grackle · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern bluebird · eastern kingbird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · eastern wood-pewee · field sparrow · fish crow · gadwall · golden-crowned kinglet · grasshopper sparrow · gray catbird · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · hooded warbler · house finch · 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 · rose-breasted grosbeak · ruby-crowned kinglet · rusty blackbird · savannah sparrow · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · summer tanager · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · veery · white-breasted nuthatch · white-eyed vireo · white-throated sparrow · winter wren · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow warbler · 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 · house mouse · marsh rice rat · meadow vole · northern short-tailed shrew · southern flying squirrel · white-footed mouse · woodland vole
PredatorsAmerican mink · gray fox · northern river otter · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Also on the checklistNew Name · Virginia opossum · domestic cat · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Hiking in the national parks
Weather & climate
Summer, hot and humid. Fall and Spring, mild. Winter, cold with occasional ice and snow.
Questions people ask
Does Richmond charge an entrance fee?
No. Richmond is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Richmond?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Richmond?
149,545 recreation visits in 2025, number 192 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Richmond?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 4G LTE. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Richmond established?
1936.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Richmond?
Summer, hot and humid. Fall and Spring, 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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