Last Update:
March 10, 2022. PLEASE READ BEFORE YOUR PURCHASE:
Gettysburg National Military Park recently announced two major rehabilitation projects. Park roads around Little Round Top will be closed starting July 26, 2022 and continuing for 18 months. Several Civil War Cycling routes will require your on-site flexibility and route adjustments when roads are closed. Impacted routes include 1, 1b, 3, 3b, 4, 5, and 9-11. Civil War Cycling posted a detour map and instructions for adjusting its most popular routes, here. Please note that Route 2 (Battle Day 1 Loop) and Routes 6-7, 8 (Culp’s Hill) are NOT impacted by park rehabilitation projects. For additional planning help, see the Gettysburg “Alerts & Conditions” page and the Gettysburg detour map, here.
Table of Gettysburg Bicycle Routes
Civil War Cycling's bicycling maps are historically themed, circular routes over park roads that are designed for safety and cycling convenience. You may print these multi-page color PDFs to tuck into your jersey, bicycle panniers, or handlebar map bag. If your mobile device has a PDF reader, you can also digitally view your maps while on a break. There are no license keys or passwords. Simply purchase, download, and use.Note: On a mobile device, you may need to swipe the following table to the left to get to the 'Read More' links.
| Route # | Route Name | Miles | Theme | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full Day Loop | 23.8 | *Best Seller* Maximum battlefield coverage for July 1-3, 1863 [Tricky zig-zag through town to get to the Day 1 battlefield] | Read More |
| 1b | Full Day Short Loop | 11.5 | *Popular* Abbreviated coverage of key battlefield sites for July 1-3 [Requires above-average road cycling skills] | Read More |
| 2 | Battle Day 1 Loop | 10.5 | Fields north of town and part of Culp's Hill [For the serious historian] | Read More |
| 3 | Battle Days 2 & 3 Loop | 17.0 | *Popular* Southern half of the battlefield, plus a complete tour of Culp's Hill | Read More |
| 3b | Battle Days 2 & 3 Short Loop | 10.7 | *Popular* Abbreviated coverage of key battlefield sites for July 2-3 | Read More |
| 4 | The Ridges Loop | 9.0 | Simple route over the July 2-3 battlefield south of town, excluding Culp's Hill | Read More |
| 5 | The Ridges Extended Loop | 12.2 | *Popular* Adds to Route 4 a ride through Devil's Den, Rose Woods, and the Trostle Farm area | Read More |
| 6, 7 | Culp's Hill Lower & Upper Loops | 2.4 (each) | Culp's Hill divided into two loops | Read More |
| 8 | Culp's Hill Double Loop | 5.5 | Complete tour of Culp's Hill, including East Confederate Avenue [Recommended for your second tour of GNMP] | Read More |
| 9, 10, 11 | Devil's Den, The Wheatfield, and Little Round Top Loops | 1.5 - 3.8 | Devil's Den, The Wheatfield, and Little Round Top [Simple route, physically demanding] | Read More |
| 12 | East Cavalry Field | 5.2 | East Cavalry Field [For expert road cyclists only. Most of this tour is not within park boundaries.] | Read More |
Do you need more help narrowing your options?
If you are healthy enough for a full or half-day ride over smoothly paved park roads, then I recommend first considering these GNMP bicycle routes:
The Full Day Loop (23.8 miles)
The GNMP Route 1 Companion Map (Full Day Loop, 23.8 miles) is the centerpiece of the paperback guidebook, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park. Although neither require the other, many bicyclists will want both the guidebook and the companion map for Route 1. The PDF contains over 30 pages of full-color segment maps, photographs, and cross references to monument histories.
The Ridges Extended Loop (12.2 miles) and Culp’s Hill Double Loop (5.5 miles)
For its coverage of the southern half of the battlefield, my next favorite route is the GNMP Route 5 Companion Map (The Ridges Extended Loop, 12.2 miles). A close second is the GNMP Route 8 Companion Map (Culp’s Hill Double Loop, 5.5 miles).
Civil War Cycling’s bike routes and maps are unique:
First, unless you are riding with a licensed battlefield guide, it is challenging to design a safe, circular ride through Gettysburg. This is especially true for bicyclists who prefer not to ride against the flow of traffic. (GNMP has many one-way roads). Unless you plan ahead, it can be frustrating to figure out how safely to find a particular monument. As one of our reviewers wrote:
Gettysburg is a rather large battlefield (though not the largest), and has many points of interest. I recommend this book as a way to plan an efficient trip, as Gettysburg is an easy place to get turned around and do a lot of back tracking trying to get to places you want to see.
Second, our map design makes it easy for you to focus, not on logistics, but on the park and its history. The maps provide an experiential framework for learning about the Battle of Gettysburg. And they do not require GPS signals or cell phone battery power. The maps also provide tips on bicycling amenities like restrooms, water, picnic areas, and shade. Another cyclist posted this review:
I just received this book yesterday and have spent quite a bit of time with it. … In the past couple of years I began cycling for pleasure and health, and found that I really enjoy it. I had thought about riding at some of the Civil War parks to feed both my love of history and enjoy riding. I really could not find a guide that coupled cycling with the battlefields-until now. I was surprised by the breadth and depth this book provides.
Why I needed a custom map for biking Gettysburg:
For more than thirty years, and over many dozens of visits, I toured Gettysburg National Military Park by bus, car, and foot. In 2012, I toured the battlefield on a bicycle for the first time. The experience of learning American history while exploring park land on a bicycle is hard to describe, but if I had to pick one word, it would be “exhilarating.” And yet it took four years to work out the kinks in my self-directed, solo tours. I was frustrated by one-way roads, incomplete or inaccurate maps, and not knowing how best to avoid town traffic. Eventually, I learned what equipment to pack, what clothes to wear, and where to find convenient access to water, portable toilets, and shade for picnics. It was also challenging to know how best to sequence my visitation of which monuments and within what general timeframe.
I created my own maps (and guidebook) because I could not find any maps that met the needs of a bicycling historian. I hope that these maps help you to avoid the mistakes that I had made and that you can enjoy every minute of your battlefield tour. ~Sue Thibodeau, Author
Still not convinced that you need a map? Please read our #1 All-Time Blog Post:
Click here to read a so what?! blog post: “Biking the Gettysburg Battlefield – Not Just Any Map”
CLICK THE CANNON TO SHOP FOR DIGITAL MAPS:
Selecting Your Gettysburg Bicycle Route
No Obligation, Free Sample
Route 12 (East Cavalry Field) is only 7 PDF pages. Its purpose to to provide a representative sample of the content and styling of our PDF maps. Civil War Cycling does not recommend Route 12 for first-time visitors to Gettysburg unless you are routing by car. You can anonymously view or download this free PDF here.
Questions?
If you are planning a bicycle tour of Gettysburg National Military Park, and you would like some free advice over email, please contact Civil War Cycling. I’d love to here from you!
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