Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge is the place where George Washington and the Continental Army took refuge during the winter of 1777-1778. Today the park protects 3,500 acres of meadows, woodlands, historic landscapes, and monuments commemorating the resolve of the Revolutionary War generation and honoring the power of people to pull together, overcome adversity, and find renewal through transformation.
About under an hour from Philadelphia and 2 hours from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- InformationNPS ↗Isaac Potts House (Washington's Headquarters) Closed For Restoration
The Isaac Potts House (Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge) is temporarily closed for a restoration project. The Washington's Headquarters area, including the Valley Forge Train Station and exhibits, Commander-In-Chief's Guard Huts, and George Washington statue, remains open and accessible during regular operating hours. Learn more about the restoration project at the link below.
- InformationNPS ↗Maurice Stephens Parking Lot Closed During Construction Project
The parking lot near the Maurice Stephens house, located on Rt 23 opposite from the Washington Memorial Chapel, is closed during construction and renovation work on the house. Visitors are encouraged to park in the Chapel lot for Grand Parade trail access
- InformationCounty Line Road Closed Monday To Friday
County Line Road is closed during the week, from Monday through Friday. The closure will apply to all vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. Please find an alternate route.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
While there are no entrance fees at Valley Forge National Historical Park, trolley tours operated by park partner The Encampment Store do require a fee. Learn more about trolley tours at Valley Forge
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · 7:00AM - Sunset |
| Washington's Headquarters | Daily · 10:00AM - 5:00PM |
Washington's Headquarters: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hours | 10:00AM - 5:00PM |
| May 4, 2026 to May 1, 2027NowIsaac Potts House Restoration Project | Closed |
| Nov 1 to Dec 31, 2026Winter Hours - DST ends to Dec 31 | 10:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Nov 11, 2026Closed on Veterans Day (Restoration Project) | Hours not published |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed on Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed on Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1 to Mar 22, 2027Winter Hours - January to March 22, 2026. |
|
| Jan 1, 2027Closed on New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 18, 2027Closed on Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Closed |
| Feb 15, 2027Closed on Washington's Birthday | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center at Valley Forge ↗Passport stamp
The Visitor Center at Valley Forge is open daily, 9 AM to 5 PM. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days. First opened in 1978, the Visitor Center at Valley Forge is a multi-use building designed by Walter Ogg of the Philadelphia firm of Eshbach, Glass, Kale, and Associates, and…
Explore
Things to do
- Take a Trolley Tour90 Minutes
Trolley tours are offered on a seasonal basis. Check the schedule for current tour status. Trolley tours depart from the front of the Visitor Center and make extended stops at Muhlenberg's Brigade and Washington's Headquarters.
Opens on the Park Service site - Be a Valley Forge Junior Ranger1-2 Hours
Complete in the in-park Valley Forge Junior Ranger program by picking up a copy of the Junior Ranger Activity Booklet from a ranger at the visitor center.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Valley Forge Encampment Museum Exhibit20-60 Minutes
Explore the sights, sounds, and stories of the Valley Forge encampment in the brand-new museum exhibit located at the Visitor Center at Valley Forge!
Opens on the Park Service site - Be a Valley Forge B.A.R.K. Ranger10-30 Minutes
Learn the four B.A.R.K. principles, complete pages in the activity book, and show your work to a ranger at the visitor center. After you make the B.A.R.K. Ranger promise, you and your doggo will get a Valley Forge B.A.R.K. Ranger dog tag!
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Washington's Wartime Family Exhibit5-30 Minutes
Explore the motivations and decisions of General George Washington and learn about the people that made up Washington's military family during the Valley Forge encampment in this museum exhibit, located in the Historic Valley Forge Station near…
Opens on the Park Service site - Rent a Bicycle2-8 Hours
For those who want to explore Valley Forge on two wheels, The Encampment Store offers seasonal bike rentals, weather permitting. Please call 610-551-7870 before going to the park to confirm that bike rentals are on for the day.
Opens on the Park Service site
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- Watch the Park Orientation Film19 Minutes
The 19-minute park orientation film Determined to Persevere: The Valley Forge Encampment is shown daily on the hour and the half-hour in the Meeting Room. The first screening is at 9:30 AM and the final screening is at 4:30 PM.
Opens on the Park Service site - Watch the Short Films5-10 Minutes
Four short films play regularly in the museum exhibit located in the Visitor Center at Valley Forge.
Opens on the Park Service site - Listen to the Audio Tour60-90 Minutes
The Audio Tour is available for purchase as an audio CD, a downloadable MP3 file, or for streaming using a smartphone or tablet. You can purchase and listen to the Audio Tour by visiting The Encampment Store website.
Opens on the Park Service site - Dial in to the Cell Phone Guide2-120 Minutes
The Cell Phone Guide provides recorded audio information about the history, people, landscapes, and buildings of Valley Forge National Historical Park and can enhance any visit to the park. Dial 484-396-1018 to access the guide.
Opens on the Park Service site - Be a Virtual Junior Ranger30-45 Minutes
You can become a Valley Forge Virtual Junior Ranger even if you can't visit the park! This program features six online activities that you can do with your computer, a pencil, a piece of paper, and about thirty minutes.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Iron Making in Colonial America Museum Exhibit5-30 Minutes
The museum exhibit Forging a Nation: Iron Making in Colonial America features artifacts from the 18th century iron industry and puts the industry in the context of the American Revolution.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- 09:30 AM · runs through Dec 31 · freeFilm is screened inside the Theater at Valley Forge, located near the visitor center building.
- An Entrance to Former Worlds: the Cave, Landscape, and Geologic History of Valley Forge10/1701:00 PM · freeThe Meeting Room at Valley Forge is located next to the upper doors of the Visitor Center at Valley Forge.
- 07:00 PM · freeThe storytelling firepit is located at Muhlenberg's Brigade. Park in the Muhlenberg's Brigade parking lot or along the one-way…
- The Bone Wars: A Story of Brutal Competition in Early Paleontology10/1703:30 PM · freeThe Meeting Room at Valley Forge is located next to the upper doors of the Visitor Center at Valley Forge.
- The Fossils of Valley Forge's Port Kennedy Bone Cave10/1702:15 PM · freeThe Meeting Room at Valley Forge is located next to the upper doors of the Visitor Center at Valley Forge.
- Valley Forge Fossil Day10/1712:00 PM · freeFossil Day activities take place inside the Visitor Center at Valley Forge and the nearby meeting room building.
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- 07:00 PM · freeThe storytelling firepit is located at Muhlenberg's Brigade. Park in the Muhlenberg's Brigade parking lot or along the one-way…
- 07:00 AM · freeStirling's Quarters along Yellow Springs Road. If the parking lot near the house is full, park at the Wilson Rd parking lot and…
- 07:00 PM · freeThe storytelling firepit is located at Muhlenberg's Brigade. Park in the Muhlenberg's Brigade parking lot or along the one-way…
- 07:00 PM · freeThe storytelling firepit is located at Muhlenberg's Brigade. Park in the Muhlenberg's Brigade parking lot or along the one-way…
News
- Valley Forge National Historical Park Celebrates 50th Anniversary and America’s 250th With Three-Day “Retreat to Valley Forge” Commemoration July 3–5 ↗2026-05-08
Valley Forge National Historical Park, the only national park established on July 4, celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer with a three-day commemorative event.
- Valley Forge National Historical Park to Begin Restoration of Historic Isaac Potts House ↗2026-04-15
Beginning May 4, 2026, the Isaac Potts House in Valley Forge National Historical Park will temporarily close for a restoration project.
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
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 12× · Red Fox 11× · Belted Kingfisher 3× · Great Horned Owl 3× · Coyote 2× · Osprey 2×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 178 birds, 27 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Barred owl · Black vulture · Broad-winged hawk · Cooper's hawk · Eastern screech owl · Golden eagle · Great horned owl · Harrier hawk · Long-eared owl · Northern saw-whet owl · Osprey · Red-shouldered hawk · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Turkey vulture · bald eagle · short eared owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican black duck · American coot · Bufflehead · Canada goose · Common goldeneye · Common merganser · Double-crested cormorant · Great blue heron · Green heron · Hooded merganser · Lesser scaup · Pied-billed grebe · Ring-necked duck · Tundra swan · Wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · Common snipe · Herring gull · Killdeer · Laughing gull · Least sandpiper · Lesser black-backed gull · Lesser yellowlegs · Pectoral sandpiper · Ring-billed gull · Solitary sandpiper · Spotted sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesMourning dove · Ring-necked pheasant · Rock dove
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 · Bank swallow · Barn swallow · Bay-breasted warbler · Belted kingfisher · Black-and-white warbler · Black-billed cuckoo · Black-throated blue warbler · Black-throated green warbler · Blackburnian warbler · Blackpoll warbler · Blue grosbeak · Blue jay · Blue-gray gnatcatcher · Blue-headed vireo · Blue-winged warbler · Bobolink · Brown creeper · Brown thrasher · Brown-headed cowbird · Canada warbler · Cape May warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cedar waxwing · Cerulean warbler · Chestnut-sided warbler · Chipping sparrow · Common grackle · Common nighthawk · Common raven · Common yellowthroat · Dark-eyed junco · Eastern bluebird · Eastern kingbird · Eastern meadowlark · Eastern phoebe · Eastern towhee · Eastern wood-pewee · European starling · Field sparrow · Fish crow · Fox sparrow · 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 · Least flycatcher · Lincoln's sparrow · Louisiana waterthrush · Magnolia warbler · Mallard · Marsh wren · Mourning warbler · Nashville warbler · Northern cardinal · Northern mockingbird · Northern parula · Northern rough-winged swallow · Northern waterthrush · Olive-sided flycatcher · Orchard oriole · Ovenbird · Palm warbler · Philadelphia vireo · Pine siskin · Pine warbler · Prairie warbler · Purple finch · Purple martin · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-eyed vireo · Red-winged blackbird · Rose-breasted grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Savannah sparrow · Scarlet tanager · Song sparrow · Swainson's thrush · Swamp sparrow · Tennessee warbler · Tree swallow · Tufted titmouse · Two-barred Crossbill · Veery · Vesper sparrow · Warbling vireo · White-breasted nuthatch · White-crowned sparrow · White-eyed vireo · White-throated sparrow · Willow flycatcher · Wilson's warbler · 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 mammalsNorway rat · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · house mouse · masked shrew · meadow jumping mouse · meadow vole · muskrat · northern short-tailed shrew · red squirrel · southern flying squirrel · star-nosed mole · white-footed mouse
Predatorscoyote · mink · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed Deer
Batsbig brown bat · little brown myotis · northern myotis · red bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · feral cat · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 18 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Winters at Valley Forge are cold and damp with a cool spring and fall and a hot and humid summer. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended for outdoor recreation during the snowy winter season. Find more detailed weather information on the Weather page.
Questions people ask
Does Valley Forge charge an entrance fee?
No. Valley Forge is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Valley Forge?
Standard hours are 7:00AM - Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Valley Forge right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Isaac Potts House (Washington's Headquarters) Closed For Restoration; Maurice Stephens Parking Lot Closed During Construction Project; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Valley Forge?
1,819,086 recreation visits in 2025, number 51 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Valley Forge?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Valley Forge?
Winters at Valley Forge are cold and damp with a cool spring and fall and a hot and humid summer. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended for outdoor recreation during the snowy winter season.
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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