Petersburg National Battlefield Park Trailhead — Attraction in Virginia

I drove up to Petersburg just to visit the National Battlefield and Pamplin Park. If you want to drive through the park and see the sites, like the Crater, make sure you start at the visitor's center at 5001 Siege Rd, Petersburg, VA 23804.

It's a small, outdated building, but it has that nostalgic NPS feel. There's a small bookstore in the front. Then there's a little circular part in the back with a theater in the middle that plays a very informative 20 minutes film. On the outer part there are exhibits. You can tell it needs some updating, but the signs and artifacts were informative and well done.

I got there at 9am on a Saturday, and a very friendly young ranger greeted me. She provided maps and recommendations for not only the Petersburg battlefield but also other sites in the area. She was extremely knowledgeable and clearly very passionate about history.

There's a small paved path that go back to some earthworks and a cannon. There's even a display with a button that plays an informative recording. I was pleasantly surprised by several of these large displays around the property, which all worked and sounded great.

There are bathrooms here that were quiet and clean too.

Then you hop in your vehicle and drive down a one-way road through the park. The property is very well maintained, and I saw lots of people walking, jogging, riding bicycles and even a few on horseback. There are several marked stops with places to park. There are quite a few stops, but depending on your interest, you probably don't need to pull over for everything.

This was a really nice NPS location, and I'm glad I was finally...

Is it just me, or does it seem that historical venues are taken care of best by local organizations? When we look at locations of local interest, there's almost always a local group dedicated to the upkeep of the landmark and the telling of the story that the landmark has to share. State-run locations are usually lacking and federal locations are underfunded to the degree that the experience is impacted at a personal level, the very space that historical monuments are meant to fill is left wanting. The staff does the best they can given the circumstances! No complaint there! In this case the welcome center was closed for some electrical issue that a private space would have taken care of in a day or two. Tell me again why we should trust our government more control...

Beside the historical import of the battles & the sacred remembrance of lives lost, the trails found within the woods is well worth the trip. From the visitors center (get a trailmap from inside) cross over the highway and take the first trailhead you see (either way). Most trails allow for ppl, horse & bike. Yellow blaze generally circumnavigate the park and interconnect south of the road. The red blaze are interior trails that interconnect south of the road too. I was able to easily put in 7+ miles. You can do as much or as little as you want. There're other parking spots on tour road that have access to trails and historical sites. Free entrance. Well shaded and easy...