Petersburg National Battlefield
Virginia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.8 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Entrance
Free entry
Two hundred ninety-two days, eight offensives, over 70,000 casualties, U. S. Colored Troops, and the decline of Gen. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. U.S. forces cut off supplies to both Petersburg and the Confederate capital, Richmond. Today, the park preserves the sites of this pivotal campaign.
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
The Eastern Front Unit includes our main visitor center and a four mile, 8-stop tour road which includes the Fort Stedman and Crater battlefields. During Spring and Summer, the tour road closes at sunset or 8:00 pm (whichever is earlier). In the Fall and Winter, the tour road closes at 5:00pm. The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 - 5:00 pm daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day when the park is closed.
⚠ Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Eastern Front Tour Road and Trails: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; General Grant's Headquarters at City Point: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Nov 25 – Nov 25; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Five Forks Battlefield: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 8047323531
✉ PETE_Info@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Feb, Oct, Dec
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 81°F
🌦️ 88°/74°
🌦️ 85°/74°
🌦️ 90°/73°
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
55%
Feb
50%
Mar
81%
Apr
77%
May
84%
Jun
99%
Jul
87%
Aug
100%
Sep
82%
Oct
51%
Nov
72%
Dec
47%
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
Visit Poplar Grove National Cemetery
Drive the Eastern Front Tour Road · 4 mi · <p>Just driving the entire Eastern Front Tour Road takes around 15 minutes. Plan for more time if you want to get out at the stops and learn more through the outdoor exhibits. </p>
Walk Around City Point
Visitor centers
Eastern Front Visitor Center
Five Forks Visitor Contact Station
General Grant's Headquarters at City Point
Accessibility
42 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
City Point Parking Lot
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Petersburg 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 Petersburg National Battlefield — each spans a cross-park journey.
Ambrose E Burnside
— Maryland Campaign, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Battle Of FredericksburgAugust V. Kautz
— MilitaryBushrod Johnson
— Military, Battle Of Stones River, Stones River LeadersCadmus Wilcox
— MilitaryCornelia Hancock
— Civil War, Medical History, Women's HistoryEdward Wild
— MilitaryFranklin Johnson
— Hampton National Historic Site, American Civil War, Memorial DayGarland H. White
— Usct, 28th Usct, Petersburg CampaignPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Eastern Front Visitor Center
🎫 Five Forks Visitor Contact Station
🎫 General Grant's Headquarters at City Point
Places to see
"The Dictator" Trail
audio
Appomattox Manor Carriage Front
audio
Appomattox Manor Riverside
audio
Appomattox Plantation Dependencies
audio
Appomattox Plantation Driveway
audio
Artillery at Petersburg
audio
Battle of The Crater (Stop 8)
audio
Charging Westward (Stop 8)
audioCity Point Historical Highway Markers
audio
Confederate Battery 5 Petersburg
audio
Confederate Battery 8 (Stop 2)
audio
Confederate Battery 9 (Stop 3)
audioAudio & media
🎧 Introduction at Don't Cry For Me Exhibit ↗ · 17 mintranscript
🎧 Introduction at the Don’t Cry for Me Art Exhibit ↗ · 17 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Uncover the hidden history of World War I in the national parks!
2020 was an extremely warm and wet year at Petersburg National Battlefield. In all, it was the wettest year the park has ever experienced (since 1895). It was also the 3rd warmest year on record.
At Petersburg National Battlefield, the year 2021 was much warmer than average but had near-normal total precipitation.
Petersburg National Battlefield had a warm 2022 (i.e., 21st warmest year ever recorded) with total precipitation that was just below normal.
View the recipients of the 2023 National Park Service Excellence in Interpretation Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by NPS employees.
It was a very warm 2023 (i.e., 5th warmest year ever recorded) for Petersburg National Battlefield, but total annual precipitation was close to normal.
After the Battle of Petersburg the dead were buried in shallow graves, most without grave markers. One year after the war ends a National Cemetery was established so that those Union soldiers who fell in the battle may be properly honored.
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.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
How Petersburg 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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Activity
Topic
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VisitorCenter
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ParkingLot
Trail
ThingToDo
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