Stones River National Battlefield
The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862 and became one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The battle produced important military and political gains for the Union, and it changed forever the people who lived and fought here.
About under an hour from Nashville by car.
Alerts
- ClosureMcFadden Farm Trail Connection to Stones River Greenway Closed
The trail connecting the McFadden Farm Unit and the Stones River Greenway will be closed to the public while Tennessee Department of Transportation crews work to widen the North Thompson Lane bridge across the West Fork of the Stones River. Work is expected to be completed in 2030.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park Tour Road | Daily · 8:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Park Grounds | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
Park Tour Road: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 8:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027Winter Gate Closure Times | 8:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
When to go
May draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The park visitor center and restrooms are open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in Spring and Summer and 9am to 4:00 pm from November 1 through February 29 in fall and winter. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25th.
Explore
Things to do
- Stones River NB Junior Ranger Program1-3 Hours
Become a Stones River National Battlefield Junior Ranger!
Opens on the Park Service site - Stones River National Battlefield Orientation Film9-9 Minutes
Stones River NB Orientation Film
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Stories of Service and Sacrifice in Stones River National Cemetery10/1701:00 PM · runs through Oct 31 · free
- Battlefield Caravan Tour10/1710:00 AM · runs through Oct 31 · free
- Arts In Parks Celebration - Featuring the Home Sweet Home Band & Two Rivers Fife & Drum10/1710:00 AM · free
News
- Stones River National Battlefield Commemorates Memorial Day ↗2026-05-11
Commemorate Memorial Day at Stones River National Battlefield and Cemetery May 23-25, 2026.
- Stones River National Battlefield Implements Intermittent Road Closures During Utility Improvement Project ↗2026-05-04
Beginning May 11, Stones River National Battlefield will implement intermittent road closures to support a utility improvement project by Middle Tennessee Electric.
- Stones River National Battlefield Hosts Cemetery Preservation Workshop at Historic Lytle Cemetery ↗2026-04-27
Stones River National Battlefield employees and community partners learned preservation and maintenance skills while working in historic Lytle Cemetery.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Guidebooks for Tennessee's national parks and 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 monthBelted Kingfisher 3× · North American River Otter 2× · Bald Eagle 1× · Eastern Screech-Owl 1× · Barred Owl 1× · Great Horned Owl 1× · Osprey 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 152 birds, 36 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Great Horned Owl · Northern Harrier · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · Pied-billed Grebe · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesEurasian Collared-Dove · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Pigeon · 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 Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Blue-winged Warbler · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Cliff Swallow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-Pewee · European Starling · Field Sparrow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Lark Sparrow · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Waterthrush · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Song Sparrow · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Warbling Vireo · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Wilson's Warbler · 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 mammalsdeer mouse · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · eastern harvest mouse · eastern mole · house mouse · least shrew · muskrat · northern short-tailed shrew · prairie vole · southeastern shrew · white-footed mouse · woodland vole
Predatorscoyote · mink · raccoon · red fox · river otter · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
BatsIndiana bat · big brown bat · eastern red bat · eastern small-footed bat · evening bat · gray bat · hoary bat · little brown bat · northern bat · silver-haired bat · tri-colored bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · domestic cat · domestic dog · nine-banded armadillo · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Questions people ask
Does Stones River charge an entrance fee?
No. Stones River is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Stones River?
Standard hours are 8:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Stones River right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: McFadden Farm Trail Connection to Stones River Greenway Closed.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Stones River?
454,614 recreation visits in 2025, number 121 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
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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