Antietam National Battlefield
Maryland
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.5 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Entrance
$20
Sherrick Farm Trail Detour
There is a detour on the trail due to downed trees. Our staff is working diligently to remove these from the trail.
Official NPS alert →23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Activities
Topics
Entrance fees
$20.00 — Entrance - Private Vehicle
$10.00 — Entrance - Per Person
$15.00 — Entrance - Motorcycle
$100.00 — Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus
$25.00 — Commercial Entrance - Sedan
$0.00 — Entrance - Education/Academic Groups
Hours & seasons
The park grounds and park tour roads close at dark. (20 minutes after sunset).
⚠ Park Grounds and Roads: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Park Grounds and Roads: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Park Grounds and Roads: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Hours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 3014325124
✉ anti_info@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Mar
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 87°F
🌧️ 91°/71°
🌧️ 91°/71°
🌦️ 96°/70°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
13%
Feb
21%
Mar
45%
Apr
68%
May
90%
Jun
100%
Jul
84%
Aug
80%
Sep
100%
Oct
73%
Nov
58%
Dec
100%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
The Union Advance Trail at Antietam · The trail is about one mile in length with two hills and a combination of grass and dirt trail bed. More than half the trail is shaded by trees.
Visit Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center
Take a short hike on the Tidball Trail · 2 mi
Take a Short Walk on the Antietam Remembered Trail · 4 mi
Visitor centers
Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center
Accessibility
14 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Antietam National Battlefield — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Antietam National Battlefield — each spans a cross-park journey.
Abner Doubleday
— Civil War, MilitaryAlbert Myer
— MilitaryAlexander Gardner
— Civilians, Maryland CampaignAlexander Lawton
— Maryland CampaignAlexander Swift “Sandie” Pendleton
— Cedar Creek And Belle Grove National Historical Park, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, Civil WarAmbrose E Burnside
— Maryland Campaign, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Battle Of FredericksburgAmbrose Powell Hill
— Maryland CampaignClara Barton
— Civilians, Maryland Campaign, Women's HistoryPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center
Places to see
132nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Monument
audio
20th New York Volunteer Infantry Monument
audio
45th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument
audio
4th Pennsylvania Reserve Monument (33rd) Volunteer Infantry Monument
audio
5th, 7th, and 66th Ohio Infantry Monument
audio
Antietam National Cemetery
Burnside Bridge
audio
Clara Barton Monument
audio
Dunker Church
George Simpson Antietam National Cemetery
Lee’s Artillery Battalion
audio
Maryland State Monument
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Meet the recipients of the 2017 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service. These award recipients are recognized for their exceptional dedication and service to parks and programs.
The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
The beige women’s wardrobe is one of the most misunderstood National Park Service (NPS) uniforms. It’s also the uniform that usually gets the most attention—despite being worn for only three years. Many incorrectly believe it dates to the 1960s and featured miniskirts and go-go boots. The fact that it is the one least like the standard green ranger uniform wasn’t an accident.
What if your office were the woods? Your break room a mossy log? This is the reality for members of the Inventory & Monitoring forest vegetation crew. The team has collected data on forest health in NCR parks every year since 2006 and recently completed the fourth cycle of forest vegetation monitoring (2018-2022). Learn what staff biologists and technicians have to say about their experiences in the field these past five years.
A brief overview of the Battle of Antietam
No president up to that point in American history was called on to be commander-in-chief like Abraham Lincoln. From monitoring the War Department telegraph office to selecting of commanding generals and developing military strategy, Lincoln guided the nation through its darkest hour.
During the Reconstruction Era, African Americans in the former slave-holding states saw education as an important step towards achieving equality, independence, and prosperity. As a result, they found ways to learn despite the many obstacles that poverty and white people placed in their path. African Americans’ commitment to education had lasting effects on the former slave-holding states.
Poor air quality is a common problem in many urban areas. It can lead to decreased human health, damage to landscape materials and ecosystem processes, and spoiled scenic views due to reduced visibility. The National Park Service monitors and assesses air quality in park units. The trees in NPS’s urban forests contribute to improved air quality.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
Antietam Then and Now
Open →
Freedom at Antietam
Open →
The Bloodiest Day in American History -- Hope for Freedom
Open →
War at Your Doorstep: The Story of the Mumma Family at the Battle of Antietam
Open →
Women in the Civil War
Open →
How Antietam National Battlefield connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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