reenactment | Raven About The Parks

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park

Virginia

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2002

3,712 acres

Overview

The Shenandoah Valley was the Confederate States of America’s “breadbasket” in the 1860s and thus had strategic importance during the Civil War. This led to numerous skirmishes and the fight that took place on October 19, 1864 is commemorated at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Not all the land within this park is owned by the federal government, but the National Park Service (NPS) has acquired some acreage and completed a significant amount of work to improve its interpretive signage since our first visit in 2016.

Highlights

Morning Attack Trails, driving tour, Hupp’s Hill Museum, Belle Grove historic plantation

Must-Do Activity

If you need the stamp for your NPS passport, stop at the Visitor Contact Station located in a strip mall in Middletown, Virginia. There you can pick up a free guide to help you follow the driving tour focused on the October 19, 1864 battle fought at Cedar Creek. There is also a free app available on the park’s website. Managed by a non-profit that organizes an annual two-day reenactment of the battle (which is worth seeing), Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park offers a free museum year-round. You can also pay to take a tour of the manor house at Belle Grove.

Best Trail

The Morning Attack Trails are located next to the NPS Headquarters off Highway 11 with interpretive signage placed on the 300-yard long 8th Vermont Monument Trail, 0.6-mile Thomas Brigade Loop, and 0.7-mile Hayes-Ramseur Loop. The 19th Corps Trails connect the 128th New York Monument on Highway 11 with Belle Grove Plantation.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Available for guided tours (fee) between April and December, the manor house at Belle Grove Plantation dates back to 1797. Union General Philip Sheridan used the house as his headquarters in 1864 and most of his 31,600 troops camped on the property.