This is a great trip. After we went, we found out there is a small scout camp nearby. Reservations are required by January I think and people compete for spaces. On our way back, we drove up through Amish country which was also very interesting. I thought to go over to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house in western PA, but it was a little too far away. There is a large cave system nearby that I discuss in another post.

Link to below: http://www.yaac-bsa.org/activities/gettysburg/gettysburg.htm

Gettysburg Heritage Trails Program

The York-Adams Area Council, the National Park Service, and the Gettysburg National Military Park/Eisenhower National Historic Site are proud to offer Scouting groups the opportunity to participate in the Gettysburg Heritage Trails program, which includes a stop at the Visitor Center/National Cemetery, two hiking trails through the battlefield at Gettysburg, a walking tour of historic downtown Gettysburg and a tour of the Eisenhower National Historic Site.

The National Park Service and the York-Adams Area Council have published a trail guide for each of these five trails and tours (the current edition was revised in June 2002, 14th edition). Trail guides are available at the Gettysburg National Military Park or from the York-Adams Area Council Scout Shop and cost $1.00 per guide. The five program elements are: 1) The Visitor Center/National Cemetery; 2) The Billy Yank Trail; 3) The Johnny Reb trail; 4) The Eisenhower National Historic Site; 5) The Historic Gettysburg Trail.

The trail guides are designed to be quite comprehensive and provide all of the information you should need concerning the trails programs, maps, requirements, etc.  The trail guides are the primary source of information for participants in these programs, as the council does not make available any other printed or on-line materials regarding these programs.  Our Scout Shop can accept credit card orders for trail guides by calling 800-569-5197 (outside York) or you can now order these materials on-line.

Program Descriptions

Visitor Center/National Cemetery and Eisenhower sections are question and answer exercises, as outlined in the trail guide.  The trail hikes through the battlefield are designed to give participants a soldier’s perspective on what happened on the battlefield.

The Historic Gettysburg Trail is a walk through the downtown area to help visitors imagine what it was like to live in Gettysburg in July 1863.  This trail is approximately three miles and takes 2-3 hours to complete.

There are fees associated with the Electric Map and Cyclorama programs, which are included in the activities spelled out in the trail guide.  Please call the park at (717) 334-1124 for pricing and reservations.

Camping At Gettysburg National Military Park

Tent camping is available at the McMillan’s Woods area of the park and reservations can be made through the park service. For detailed information regarding the reservation procedures and site availability at McMillan’s Wood, please visit the Gettysburg National Military Park’s website using this link – http://www.nps.gov/gett/camp.htm.

Groups camping at McMillan’s Woods can arrange for showers at the Gettysburg YWCA, 909 Fairfield Road, for a nominal fee of $1 per person.  Groups need to call the YWCA at least one day in advance to make arrangements (717) 334-9171. 

Additional information about Gettysburg National Military Park is also available through the U.S. National Park Service at http://www.nps.gov/gett.  A terrific map of the battlefield and the town of Gettysburg is available on the National Park Service’s web site. More views of the Gettysburg Battlefield. 

At the site of Chamberlain’s bayonnet charge on Little Round top: