You’ve reached “home base” for fun ways to learn Civil War history at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Start here to plan your Gettysburg battlefield bike tour. And maybe learn about the battlefield by perusing this website or our online shop.
We believe in self-directed, experiential learning on a bicycle. And we make that happen by exploring “outdoor classrooms” at our own pace, in our own way, and prompted by our own educational interests.
Gettysburg Battlefield Fun
Gettysburg National Military Park, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325
Reflections of a Bicycling Historian
While riding down West Confederate Avenue at Gettysburg, something shifted for me. That ride didn’t just change how I viewed the battlefield—it transformed how I approached learning its history. Suddenly, roads, barns, and towering monuments weren’t just scenery; they became landmarks that helped me understand exactly where I was and what unfolded there during the sweltering summer of 1863. I share more about that experience on Civil War Cycling’s About page.
Although I love cycling for its obvious health and recreational perks, what truly draws me in is the freedom to explore battlefields as outdoor classrooms—places where history and landscape come together to tell powerful, personal stories.
The Search for Meaning
Years ago, I wrote an article that attempted to explain my experience of learning history on a bicycle. Looking back, my post didn’t hit the mark. So, I recently tried again to express my experience of how history comes alive in motion. I hope you enjoy it: “On great fields something stays: Experiential Learning on a Bicycle”.
The Search for Knowledge
For a less academic approach, the following article offers practical learning tips: “Ten Tips for Biking Gettysburg Battlefield”.
Whether you’re seeking a deeper understanding of history, looking to expand your knowledge, or simply craving a memorable ride, a bike tour of the Gettysburg battlefield offers a uniquely enriching and enjoyable experience. Civil War Cycling equips you with everything you need to turn that journey into a meaningful adventure.
Learn about the Battle of Gettysburg
Experiential learners enjoy making connections between what they have studied at home or school and what they experience on the battlefield. That is what draws us to plan a Gettysburg battlefield bike tour that is tailored to our own skills and preferences. Peruse Civil War Cycling’s website and…
- Review landscape photos to understand the geography of your ride (and the historical significance of where you are).
- Study a gallery of monument photos and micro-histories before your ride so that it is easier to understand the battle story once you are on site.
- Try our virtual “scavenger hunts” to match monument photos to Google map pins. The idea is to memorize or remember what monuments you will look for on your bicycle tour.
- Play with Civil War Cycling’s interactive quizzes to test your knowledge or boost your memory about the people, places, and things pertaining to the Battle of Gettysburg.
- Consider your options for different bicycle routes for different learning objectives, and consider our battlefield bicycling tips.
- Expand and deepen your knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg human interest stories, and other special interest topics by consulting Civil War Cycling’s annotated bibliography of recommended reading.
- Serious students will dive into our hyperlinked information repository that connects you directly with the Official Records and various other databases and images in the public domain. Start with Civil War Cycling’s Study Notes base page.
Experience Gettysburg on Two Wheels
Bicycling national battlefield parks is a unique and rewarding way to explore American history. Our guidebooks, maps, and website materials help adventurous tourists to ride safely and to learn easily—at your pace, your way. Civil War Cycling takes the tedium out of trip planning. Whether you’re an experienced cyclist, a history enthusiast, or simply looking for a new way to connect with the past, we offer self-guided resources designed to help you navigate the battlefield with insight and confidence. Let your ride be as thoughtful as it is scenic.
Practical Cycling Considerations
Our blog post, “Biking the Gettysburg Battlefield—Not Just Any Map,” covers some of the pitfalls of not knowing the Gettysburg road network before you arrive on site, or not following a route designed by an experienced Gettysburg bicyclist. Having visited Gettysburg dozens of times before my first two-wheeled tour, I was surprised that I made so many navigation mistakes. Even when I made a series of good turns, I squandered touring time by studying roads instead of learning about geography, monuments, and wayside exhibits.
I was even more surprised that it took me several tours to get the kinks out of my touring plans. I lost a lot of time and energy backtracking due to unexpected one-way roads. Worse, I found myself on town roads that were more heavily trafficked than I expected. Fortunately, my safety mistakes were inconsequential, but that was just luck.
Your Bike Deserves Better Than a Car Map
Some people would assume that the free paper map from the National Park Service is an adequate resource for the bicycling tourist. I have not met a single person who would make that recommendation after actually riding the battlefield park. This is especially true for cyclists who prefer to avoid town roads and commercial roadways: The NPS map is great for cars, but not for bicyclists. You can read more about it in the blog post, “Auto tour books for bicycling. NOT.”
For a safe, fun, and educational bicycle tour, please consider Civil War Cycling’s paperback guidebooks and downloadable PDF document maps. The product descriptions in our shop describe their complementary purposes. Begin planning your Gettysburg battlefield bike tour today!
Paperback Guidebooks for Bicyclists
Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide is a 238-page color guidebook that tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) from the perspective of a bicyclist who scans the battlefield landscape for natural and physical landmarks—not only to stay oriented, but also to connect geography with the historical narrative.
PDF Maps with Cues and Historical Summaries for Bicyclists
Civil War Cycling publishes eleven digital companion maps for cycling Gettysburg based on theme and riding distance. These “booklet size” maps can be used with or without the larger guidebook. Their purpose is to help with navigation while also including some historical detail and photos. The maps are downloadable Adobe PDF documents that you can view or print for personal (non-commercial) use. The maps are not part of a GPS navigation system and there is no audio.
Click here for help selecting a Gettysburg bicycle route.
Map of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg Order of Battle Links
If you want to develop a basic understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg, the first step is to recognize the names of military commanders. The second step is to know whether the name belonged to the Army of the Potomac (Union) or the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate). These Civil War Cycling links will help:
The Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg (with hyperlinks!)
The Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg (with hyperlinks!)
Order of Battle Flashcards (interactive web pages)
Read the Officer Reports in the Official Records (hyperlinked indexes to digital scans “by officer name” and “by report number”)
Web Pages for Bicycling Historians
The following battle summaries for July 1-3, 1863 are for people who want to memorize military maneuvers well-enough to learn something new on every ride through Gettysburg National Military Park. I created and regularly revised these notes for my own use on many dozens of rides. They helped me to learn the battlefield story while bicycling Gettysburg.
Be forewarned, the summary pages are highly structured and dense. Photos, maps, lists, and other visual learning aids give context to the narrative.
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