Monocacy National Battlefield
Maryland
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.5 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Entrance
Free entry
During the summer of 1864, the Confederacy carried out a bold plan to turn the tide of the Civil War in their favor. They planned to capture Washington, DC and influence the election of 1864. On July 9, however, Federal soldiers outnumbered three to one, fought gallantly along the banks of the Monocacy River in an effort to buy time for Union reinforcement to arrive in Washington, DC.
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
The park grounds are open daily from 7:30 until 20 minutes after sunset.
⚠ Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Monocacy National Battlefield: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 3016623515
✉ mono_mail@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 87°F
🌦️ 90°/73°
☁️ 90°/72°
🌧️ 94°/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
47%
Feb
54%
Mar
74%
Apr
80%
May
90%
Jun
91%
Jul
100%
Aug
92%
Sep
84%
Oct
87%
Nov
67%
Dec
58%
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
Ignite your Imagination at Monocacy National Battlefield
Picnicking At Monocacy · Varies.
Hikes at the Worthington Farm · 1.6 mi · Duration depends on walking speed of participants and trail selected.
Hike The Thomas Farm Trail · 1.75 mi · Duration depends on walking speed of participants and trail selected
Explore L'Hermitage · The duration of the activity depends on the interest level of the visitor. The exterior of the buildings can be quickly observed or one could walk the landscape and see how the subtle variations of the terrain was used to maintain control and power.
Visitor centers
Visitor Center
Accessibility
30 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 Monocacy 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 Monocacy National Battlefield — each spans a cross-park journey.
George E Davis
— Civil War, Union, Military HistoryJames B. Ricketts
— Civil War, Battle Of Cedar Creek, Shenandoah Valley CampaignJohn B. Gordon
— Maryland Campaign, Civil War, Battle Of MonocacyJohn C. Breckinridge
— Military, Stones River LeadersJohn McCausland
— Military, Civil War, Early 1864 Raid MarylandJubal Early
— Battle Of Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek And Belle Grove National Historical Park, American Civil WarLew Wallace
— MilitaryStephen D. Ramseur
— American Civil War, Cedar Creek And Belle Grove National Historical Park, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic DistrictPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Visitor Center
Places to see
10th Vermont Monument
audio
14th New Jersey Monument
audio
Best Farm
audio
Best Farm - Confederate Cannon #1
audio
Best Farm - Confederate Cannon #2
audio
Best Farm House
audio
Best Farm Secondary House
audio
Confederate Cannon at Worthington
audio
East Best Farm - Confederate Cannon
audio
Gambrill Mansion
audio
Gambrill Mill
audio
Gambrill Mill Picnic Area
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Congratulations to the national and regional recipients of the 2013 Freeman Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Education.
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.
Monocacy National Battlefield hosted a rededication ceremony to celebrate their newly redesigned museum, which brings the 1864 'Battle that Saved Washington D.C.' to life through immersive exhibits and personal stories. Visitors can explore historic artifacts, interactive displays and the landscape where this important moment in American history unfolded.
In 1904, a deadly fungus began killing American chestnut trees, once one of the most dominant trees of the eastern U.S. Despite overwhelming odds, some American chestnut trees survive today in parks of the National Capital Region
American eels are found everywhere along the Atlantic Coast, but many aspects of these fish remain poorly understood. They are perhaps one of the most mysterious fish in the Potomac watershed.
Looking for disease, including ranaviruses and chytrid fungi, is an important part of amphibian monitoring done by the National Capital Region Inventory & Monitoring Network. Learn more about the risks posed by these diseases and the biosecurity protocols field crews use to reduce the risk of accidental spread.
Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to amphibian communities, especially in National Capital Region parks at risk due to the region's growing urbanization.
Learn how amphibians in the National Capital Region are faring based on fifteen years of NPS monitoring. Explore population changes, threats and stressors, and data-informed tools for protecting amphibian populations in our parks.
How Monocacy 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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