Category: Gettysburg

Gettysburg on a Bicycle – Tips for 2022
Road closures near Little Round Top will impact your Gettysburg bicycle tour this year. The National Park Service announced two major rehabilitation projects that will be in full swing on July 26, 2022 and continue for 18 months. For the latest official information about dates and park conditions, visit the Gettysburg Alerts & Conditions web page. Also of interest, the National Park Service posted an “Auto Detour Map” (2025 Update: the map is no longer accessible).
The Little Round Top Rehabilitation Project impacts Civil War Cycling Routes 1, 1b, 3, 3b, 4, 5, and 9-11. However, these routes are not impacted: Route 2 (Battle Day 1 Loop) and Routes 6-7, 8 (Culp’s Hill). Using today’s blog tips and a little pre-planning to adjust your route, you can enjoy an educational Gettysburg bicycle tour this year.
This post was updated on April 29, 2022 to include the Devil’s Den project.
Here are five tips for adjusting your Summer/Fall 2022 Gettysburg bike tour:
Tip 1. Avoid construction near Little Round Top.
For bicyclists who want to use their existing Civil War Cycling map sets, this article describes the detour for Route 1 (“Full Day Loop”). If you are a potential new customer, please browse our shop, here. Notably, Warren Avenue, Sykes Avenue, and Wright Avenue will be closed to all traffic starting in the late Spring, 2022. South Confederate Avenue will be open to hikers and bicyclists.
2022 Gettysburg Bicycle Detour Cues
Fortunately, we can describe a detour that applies to all impacted Gettysburg bicycle routes. In other words, only one detour around park road closures is needed for Civil War Cycling Routes 1, 1b, 3, 3b, 4, and 5.
You will start at the north end of West Confederate Avenue (“old” Segment F) and ride only as far as Millerstown Road before cutting east toward The Peach Orchard, as follows:
- From the north end of West Confederate Avenue, ride 2.1 miles SOUTH to Millerstown Road.
- At the stop sign, turn LEFT on Millerstown Road and ride about 0.3 miles to Emmitsburg Road.
- Cross Emmitsburg Road and take your first LEFT on Sickles Avenue.
- Turn RIGHT on United States Avenue and ride 0.7 miles to a dead-end.
- Turn LEFT on Hancock Avenue and ride NORTH to the Pennsylvania State Monument (to begin Segment K).
2022 Gettysburg Bicycle Detour Map (for Route 1)
Although the detour cues are straight-forward, it always helps to have a map. The following overview map depicts the detour from Segments F2 and G3 to Segment K.
Note: Don’t let the segment names confuse you. Since the same segments are recombined to produce different routes, their ordering for any given route will appear arbitrary. In addition, Civil War Cycling’s PDF products include detailed maps, bicycle cues, and photos for each bicycling segment, which means they are packed with more information than this simple blog post can provide. In other words, overview maps like the one below represent only a small subset of a Civil War Cycling “companion map.”
Bicycling Gettysburg Route 1 Companion Map. Detour for 2022-2023 NPS Rehabilitation Projects.
This version of Route 1 covers 16.7 miles, compared to 23.8 miles for the Route 1 “Full Day Loop.” The 7.1 miles that we cut from this route are amongst the most historically significant, not to mention beautiful, parts of the Gettysburg landscape.
That said, rather than short-circuit our options, Tip 2 will describe a potential opportunity to ride 2.7 miles through The Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and Rose Woods.
South slope of Little Round Top, looking toward Union monuments on Hancock Avenue.
Tip 2. From Segment G3, consider touring Devil’s Den.
Technically, the National Park Service has CLOSED Devil’s Den until the end of September, 2022. They fenced off the area’s 200 million year-old boulder outcropping to make it inaccessible to pedestrians. The project will remedy safety and erosion issues.
On the other hand, the surrounding roads will be mostly OPEN. Since road closures will depend on the current state of construction work, please check the NPS Alerts & Conditions page for up-to-date information on the day of your Gettysburg bicycle ride.
For the safety of all visitors and contractors, Devil’s Den will be closed for five to six months. However, Crawford Avenue, Sickles Avenue, and the Devil’s Den parking area will remain open as much as possible for visitor use. (Adjacent battlefield locations, such as the Slaughter Pen, Devil’s Kitchen, and the Triangular Field, will all remain open.) The construction contractor will occasionally need to close all road access around the area in order to further facilitate the project. All road closure notices will be updated to our website and social media platforms with as much notice as possible.
Source: https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/historyculture/devils-den.htm, cited on April 29, 2022
View of Devils Den, looking southwest over Warren Avenue from Little Round Top.
Can you loop around Devil’s Den?
Maybe. Due to the uncertainty about which roads may close when, Civil War Cycling’s 2022 Gettysburg bicycle detour recommendations do not include the Devil’s Den area. But that doesn’t mean that you are out of luck.
Road conditions on the day of your ride might permit a spontaneous 2.7-mile ride through these battlefield locations: The Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and Rose Woods. Please note that for visibility reasons these roads are normally one-way, and that fact will impact your detour options. (See the black arrows on the map below).
You will start and end in The Peach Orchard after completing Segment F2 and before Segment G3.
2022 Gettysburg Bicycle Detour Cues for Devil’s Den
- Continue STRAIGHT (southeast) on Wheatfield Road.
- Take your third RIGHT (almost 0.5 miles) onto Crawford Avenue.
- Follow Crawford Avenue 0.3 miles to the stop sign at Warren Avenue.
- Continue STRAIGHT onto Sickles Avenue for 0.3 miles around Devil’s Den.
- Continue 0.2 miles to an oddly angled intersection and turn LEFT. This is Cross Avenue.
- Continue 0.8 miles over Brooke and Detrobriand Avenues to the STOP at Sickles Avenue.
- Turn LEFT on Sickles Avenue and continue 0.4 miles to the STOP at Wheatfield Road.
- Turn LEFT and ride 0.2 miles to arrive back at the start of Segment G3.
2022
Before your ride, visit the Gettysburg Alerts & Conditions web page for information about road closures.
Tip 3. Avoid West Middle Street by crossing into a neighborhood.
This tip is unrelated to 2022 park construction projects. If your Civil War Cycling route zig-zags to West Middle Street via residential streets, you know that the final climb up West Middle to the traffic light at Seminary Ridge Avenue is steep. We recommend riding on the sidewalk, since West Middle Street is a fast-moving commercial road.
But there is an alternative. Rather than riding up West Middle Street, cross the road into another residential neighborhood. Then turn left and ride about two blocks to dead-end on Seminary Ridge Avenue. From there, you can ride south (left) to connect to West Confederate Avenue, or north (right) to tour the Day 1 battlefield.
Tip 4. Riding with children? Try tree-lined Seminary Ridge.
Although Gettysburg’s park roads are safe for adult bicyclists, children require close supervision. All bicyclists must share the road with motor vehicles (25 mph speed limit), and children should have prior experience riding in these conditions and understand the rules of the road. You know this, of course.
The easiest way to avoid fast-moving public roadways on a Gettysburg bicycle tour with children is to plan a “back and forth” ride. And the most scenic straight-away is the ride south on West Confederate Avenue, which bends eastward on South Confederate Avenue, past Big Round Top to Little Round Top. These wide, smoothly paved roads roll gently along a tree-lined ridge (Seminary Ridge). On the side of the road stand many large Confederate monuments and cannons that tell the story of “Pickett’s Charge” across a 1-mile-wide field to your left, beyond which you can see Union monuments on the opposing ridge (Cemetery Ridge).
Instructions
Park your car on the north end of West Confederate Avenue, unload your bicycles, put on your helmets, and ride south. Bring plenty of water and healthy carbohydrates or snacks. When you are “half-way tired,” turn around and ride back to your car.
Confederate Cannon on West Confederate Avenue Pointing Toward Cemetery Ridge.
Please note that your return trip will go against the flow of traffic, which park regulations allow for bicycling safety. However, be aware that motor vehicle drivers can be confused by this, so adults need to educate children on what to do and when.
The free NPS paper map (available at the Visitor Center) contains sufficient detail for this trip. If you’d like a little more information, including photos for a longer route, I recommend that you look at Route 4 (“The Ridges Loop”) because it documents the ride along West and South Confederate Avenues. (This is Seminary Ridge, the main Confederate battle line on July 2-3, 1863).
Tip 5. Consider bicycling Gettysburg as a way to learn history.
Civil War Cycling’s PDF maps are companions to our paperback guidebooks. Historical summaries, monument photos, landscape descriptions, and human interest stories pack the Gettysburg guidebook. These books will help you to learn history in a self-directed, experiential way:
- Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park (Amazon paid link), a 268-page color guidebook
- Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 2 (Amazon paid link), a color mini-paperback
- Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 3b (Amazon paid link), a color mini-paperback
- Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5 (Amazon paid link), a color mini-paperback
Shop for your Gettysburg PDF maps, here: https://civilwarcycling.com/product-category/maps-gettysburg/
April 27, 2022
New “Maps to Bike Gettysburg” Mini-Book Series
Your Maps to Bike Gettysburg. A Mini-Book Series.
How about a little field book to stuff into your jersey while cycling Gettysburg? Civil War Cycling gives you options to lighten your ride while up-sizing your learning. In the Spring of 2021, we are publishing another set of educational products for people who enjoy learning American history outdoors—like a kid on a bike. Add one of our Maps to Bike Gettysburg mini-books to your touring kit!
Civil War Cycling’s touring publications are for people who want to combine learning U.S. Civil War history with a physical experience of a battlefield landscape. On a bike, you can easily gain a better appreciation for battlefield hills and swales and for distances covered.
Read on to learn more… Or click on the first graphic to jump straight to our shop bookshelf…
On Sale Now! $9.95
Building on the success of our information-packed Gettysburg guidebook, we added a set of slim 5″ x 8″ color paperbacks to our lineup. Whereas our guidebook appeals to both cyclists and non-cyclists due to its uniquely visual historical content, our new mini-books are designed to be more easily portable.
These lightweight volumes bridge the gap between the detailed and comprehensive 286-page guidebook, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park, and our even slimmer digital PDF companion maps. (Civil War Cycling publishes 11 routes through the Gettysburg battlefield).
Spring 2021 Series Launch
In 2021, you can purchase 3 different mini-books. Each book is a much-expanded paperback version of the same bike route described in a PDF companion map. You can read about each route in the web article, “Selecting Your Gettysburg Bicycle Route.” Or turn to Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park, Chapter 7.
Civil War Cycling Shop Links:
Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 2: Battle Day 1 Loop (10.5 miles). June 2021. 62 pp.
ISBN 978-1-7326038-6-8 (pbk).
Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 3b: Battle Days 2 and 3 Short Loop (10.7 miles). May 2021. 64 pp.
ISBN 978-1-7326038-8-2 (pbk).
Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5: The Ridges Extended Loop (12.2 miles). March 2021. 64 pp.
ISBN 978-1-7326038-9-9 (pbk).
For help picking the route that is best for you, please see the Table of Gettysburg Bicycles Routes on our website, here.
Featuring… Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5: The Extended Ridges Loop (12.2 miles)
Route 5 is one of our most popular and family-friendly routes. It covers the main Union and Confederate battle lines on July 2-3, 1863. You will visit the many Confederate state monuments on Seminary Ridge, which is the starting point for “Pickett’s Charge.” And you will also visit many Union monuments on Cemetery Ridge, including Little Round Top. More broadly, Route 5 covers East Cemetery Hill, Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Rose Woods, The Peach Orchard, and Cemetery Ridge.
Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5: The Ridges Extended Loop (Amazon paid link) contains 16 detailed color maps with corresponding bicycle cue tables; 62 color photos; monument GPS points; and micro-histories for learning about the Battle of Gettysburg. At 64 pages, this mini-book is small enough to tuck into your cycling jersey.
Ride park roads where busses are forbidden!
On Route 5, you will enjoy a winding, up-and-down ride (a 728′ cumulative gain) through fields and woodlots, some of which are not on the park auto tour. Each Civil War Cycling route is divided into segments so that you can so that navigational cues are easier to understand and physical and natural landmarks more easily identified. For an example, see the Segment H map on this page.
Plan for a 3-hour ride with frequent stops to appreciate the beautiful landscape and some of the park’s 1,300+ monuments.
Like all Civil War Cycling routes through Gettysburg National Military Park, Route 5 limits exposure to busy roads; provides route-specific health and safety tips; identifies one-way roads; and notes the location of bicycle racks, water, restrooms, and picnic areas.
Your Fully Packed Guidebook for Bicycling Gettysburg
“After following the book’s Culp’s Hill course on a balmy Saturday morning in May, I’m sold that there may be no better way to tour the battlefield than on two wheels. The opportunity to cruise past the landscape’s open fields, rocky hills, and woodlots, while easily hopping on and off bike for frequent stops to read monuments or signage or to snap photographs, is incomparable.” ~Civil War Times
For people who enjoy planning a bicycle tour and studying U.S. Civil War history, we offer a 286-page color guidebook [SHOP] that boasts 34 maps, 100+ photos, and 100+ GPS points. It is both a travel guide and history reference. Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park (Amazon paid link) will appeal to “bicycling historians” who want a complete introductory reference book for use completing a full-day tour of Gettysburg’s July 1–3. 1863 battlefield.
Your PDF Companion Maps for Mobile Devices
For people who want only to read bicycle maps and cue tables (with a small sampling of historical and site highlights), we offer downloadable PDF document maps [SHOP]. These maps are optional “companions” to our flagship guidebook. But they can also work well with Civil War Cycling’s new mini-guidebook series.
Each PDF file provides maps, cues, and photos for a specific battlefield route having a specific historic theme and varying levels of difficulty. The routes are loops that range from 2.4 miles to 23.8 miles. All Civil War Cycling products are independently usable. Buy only what you need or want.
Route 5 Mini-Book versus Route 5 Companion Map (pdf)
Not a cyclist?
If you are not a cyclist, buy the 286-page guidebook for its condensed but uniquely detailed historical summaries. The last third of this book is a monument reference that includes many color photos, map/gps locations, and mini-histories. Monument histories are uniquely organized by theme, e.g., state monuments, equestrian monuments, portrait statues, etc.
Considering a Bike Tour?
If you are considering a bike tour, surf the Civil War Cycling website and decide whether you want to start with our 286-page guidebook. This book features Route 1, the 23.8-mile Full Day Loop.
Alternatively, select a shorter bike route and buy its corresponding mini-book and/or PDF product.
Planning your Gettysburg ride?
If you are planning a Gettysburg ride, consider what combination of products make sense for you:
- Guidebook? For pre-trip planning and historical reading. You can also carry this paperback on your ride.
- Mini-book? An economy option for cyclists who want to travel light and learn historical highlights.
- PDF download? The most lightweight and inexpensive option with some photos and a little history.
If you buy Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5: The Ridges Extended Loop (Amazon paid link), you might want also to consider the “Route 5 Companion Map,” described below:
The “Route 5 Companion Map” is a PDF document that you can print or view on your mobile device during a touring stop. This is a digital product; it contains much less historical information than the Maps to Bike Gettysburg No. 5 mini-book.
PDF document download
21 full-color pages (maps, photos)
Battle of Gettysburg, Days 2&3 focus
12.2 miles, Ridges Extended Loop
3 hour self-directed tour
Detailed bicycle cues, road descriptions
Identifies biking amenities on route
Geography and monument highlights
View or print PDF for personal use
(Not part of a GPS system)
Remember: You need a pre-installed version of Adobe’s free PDF reader to view and/or print Civil War Cycling’s PDF companion maps.
Happy Cycling!
April 15, 2021
Ten Tips for Biking Gettysburg Battlefield
These ten tips for biking Gettysburg are a reprint of an article that I wrote for John Bank’s Civil War Blog on October 26, 2018. Today, I am reposting the article, because Fall is an excellent time to bike Gettysburg, and this weekend promises unusually warm and sunny weather. I guarantee you, cyclists and hikers will be out enjoying the battlefield this weekend. So here we go, ten tips for biking Gettysburg…
Ten Tips for Biking Gettysburg
“There’s no better way to tour Gettysburg National Military Park than on a bike!” I hear that a lot. For people who love outdoor, experiential learning, it’s a no-brainer. … My name is Sue, and here’s a shot of my bike pedaling up the crest of Devil’s Den:
10 Gettysburg cycling tips for adventurous learners — It’s not hard to imagine what this ride up Devil’s Den will teach you about the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the above photo, you can see Little Round Top on the right and the cannons of the 4th New York Independent Battery straight ahead. I am riding under the bough of an oak “witness tree,” so-called because the tree is old enough to have “witnessed” the Battle of Gettysburg. On a bike, your senses are bombarded with picture-perfect scenery, smells of grass, sounds of chatter (and silence), and even the salty taste of sweat. For history buffs, the battlefield is an outdoor classroom that provides an exciting opportunity to learn—on your timetable, your way. Like a kid.
Here are ten tips for biking Gettysburg—all examples of learning by doing:
#1. Ride through Rose Woods
Rose Woods is an ideal cycling experience, partly because this area is not on the official National Park Service (NPS) auto tour. That means no busses and less cars. Find a good park map, because the ride through Rose Woods has lots of twists and turns, and at least one confusing intersection. Brace yourself for a hilly ride through a heavily wooded area lined with many regimental monuments. If you make it up the short but steep incline that ends at the 2nd Delaware Infantry Monument (below), you will enjoy a fast glide down to The Wheatfield.
View from Little Round Top, looking southwest.
For a historical introduction to the fighting here on July 2, 1863, I hope that you enjoy this video (4:24) of a ride through Rose Woods. It’s one of my first experiments using a GoPro video camera to record a ride along with historical commentary. (Yep, amateur).
#2. Try to spot monument symbols…
And connect them to the Army of the Potomac’s seven Union corps that fought at the Battle of Gettysburg:
- full moon (circle) = 1st Corps (Reynolds)
- trefoil (clover) = 2nd Corps (Hancock)
- diamond = 3rd Corps (Sickles)
- Maltese cross = 5th Corps (Sykes)
- simple cross = 6th corps (Sedgwick)
- crescent moon = 11th Corps (Howard)
- star = 12th corps (Slocum)
2nd Delaware Infantry Monument
But why?! Because if you want to learn the battlefield military story, the monuments give helpful visual clues about what corps fought where. (Read about it here). For example, notice the clover on the top of the 2nd Delaware Infantry Monument in Rose Woods. (It’s not a coincidence that this monument is on Brooke Avenue, a park road named for Union Col. John R. Brooke, the brigade commander for the 2nd Delaware regiment).
#3. Collect “themed” photos on your ride
In other words, pick a topical area and then hunt for and photograph the monuments that fit that topic. Here are some examples (all of which are documented in my book, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park, March 2019):
- State Monuments (USA, CSA)
- Equestrian Monuments
- Bronze Statues of Individuals
- Corps Headquarters Monuments
Then try to figure out the meaning behind each monument’s placement and history. The George G. Meade (USA) and Robert E. Lee (CSA) Equestrian Monuments, for example, each face the other, just as their two armies squared off with each other on July 2-3, 1863, across a one-mile wide field.
Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade Equestrian Monument, Cemetery Ridge.
Gen. Robert E. Lee Equestrian Monument, Seminary Ridge.
#4. Find your favorite state monument
Find your favorite state monument (USA, CSA) – And don’t miss the ride down the entire length of West Confederate Avenue, because it’s on that straight-away that you will find the North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama state monuments—in that order, from north to south. Union state monuments are on Cemetery Ridge and Cemetery and Culps Hills.
#5. Where does that cannon point?
The roughly 400 cannons at Gettysburg are positioned for historical accuracy. So, pick a cannon and peer down its barrel to where it points. In the next photograph, for example, you might want to research Confederate Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright’s (Georgia Brigade) attack through the Codori farm to Union positions protected by this rifled cannon on July 2, 1863.
Union cannon on Cemetery Ridge facing the Codori Barn and Seminary Ridge
#6. Connect physical and natural structures to battlefield maps
If your maps identify Gettysburg barns, observation towers, ridges, roadways, and tall monuments, you can use these maps to get and stay oriented on the battlefield. That’s no small feat on 6,000 acres of park land. (Click here for a “how to” example. Or, for a more interactive approach, click here.)
Looking west from the Copse of Trees on Cemetery Ridge. The Virginia State Monument is visible in the distance.
Looking east near the Virginia State Monument. Can you spot Meade’s Equestrian Monument (left side of the fence, in the distance), the tree at The Angle (right side of the fence), The Copse of Trees (right of The Angle)?
With a good set of maps, you can use Gettysburg’s barns, ridges, roads, and tall historic monuments to stay oriented on the battlefield.
#7. Ride down Culp’s Hill
After a 1-mile climb to the top of Culp’s Hill, who wouldn’t enjoy “flying” down to Stevens’ Knoll? Here’s a video clip of one ride down: Flying Down Culp’s Hill, Video (1:10)
#8. Make your own scavenger hunt
Before your trip, make a list of things that you want to find. Here are some examples to get your thinking juices flowing (you can enter GPS coordinates into the Google Maps search field):
- Witness Trees (click here for GPS coordinates for seventeen trees)
- Monument sculptures that include dogs (39.84222, -77.24256; 39.79703, -77.24511)
- Dinosaur footprint (39.78479, -77.24475)
200-million-year-old dinosaur footprint
You will find this dinosaur footprint on a stone bridge over Plum Run, South Confederate Avenue, on the south side of the road.
#9. Know the “secret” meaning of the park roads!
Did you know that most of Gettysburg’s park roads are named after Union officers, and that the shape of these roads roughly matches the officers’ most significant battle lines? Simply by reading park road signs, bicyclists can learn basic battlefield formations without the drudgery of rote memorization.
#10. Park you bicycle and visit Soldiers’ National Cemetery
Read the Gettysburg address on the bronze plaques of the Lincoln Address Memorial, visit the Honey Locust Witness Tree (39.81788,-77.23152), find the grave of Sgt. Amos Humiston (154th New York), or enjoy a quiet circular stroll among labeled species of native trees.
Ten Tips for Biking Gettysburg, Wrap-Up
Over the decades, I have toured the battlefield many dozens of times—on foot, by car, by bus—and since 2012, by bicycle across all four seasons. I learn something new everytime. I look forward to hearing about your learning adventures cycling Gettysburg National Military Park. Take a ride back in time … On A Bike.
November 6, 2020
Why you need a guidebook to cycle Gettysburg
A first-time visitor to Gettysburg National Military Park might think that cycling the park is as easy as picking up an official park map and then riding. Afterall, how hard could it be? Why not simply go to the Visitor Center, grab a free park map, and follow the official 16-stop auto tour? Do you really need a guidebook to cycle Gettysburg National Military Park?
My First Solo Gettysburg Bike Tour
On my first solo ride in 2012, I quickly realized that I made a big mistake. I should have planned my tour, and I wrongly assumed that I didn’t really need a guidebook. I had an official park map, and I thought that was enough. Afterall, I had been to Gettysburg many dozens of times over the decades. Surely, I knew my way around, right? No. Bicycling is different.
On the way to Spangler’s Spring via Carman Avenue
Less than one mile into my ride, I stopped to figure out how to avoid town traffic. Where are the bicycle lanes? May I legally ride on sidewalks? How can I ride in wooded areas and avoid tour busses? Clearly, the auto tour route was not for me. And I was spending too much time trying to figure out how to ride in a loop.
The farther I cycled, the more one-way roads confused me. I felt that they pointed me in the opposite direction that I wanted to go. I later learned that the Superintendent’s Compendium permits cyclists to ride against the flow of traffic within the park, as follows:
“To reduce the inherent hazards of operating bicycles on several of the State highways that run through the park, bicycles may be operated in a careful and prudent manner in opposition to the one-way direction of traffic on one-way park roads.” (Superintendent’s Compendium, Section 36 CFR 4.30).
Even so, not every cyclist is comfortable “challenging” motorists in that way. And one cannot be sure that policies such as this will survive future superintendents’ administrations. For sure, it is always the cyclist’s responsibility to know and follow the rules of the road, independent of maps or directions produced in conformance to previous years’ regulations.
Hancock Avenue is one-way heading north, but bicyclists often find themselves wanting to ride south from the Soldiers’ National Cemetery parking lot.
Why I Wrote Bicycling Gettysburg
In 2012, I toured the Gettysburg battlefield on a bicycle for the first time. In Chamberlain’s words, I had “come to this deathless field to ponder and dream,” but little did I know— until I rode the battlefield—what an amazing, liberating experience it is to feel the Gettysburg landscape in my body. While struggling to pedal up Little Round Top or Culp’s Hill, for example, I could better appreciate the physical challenges of the soldiers who fought to claim those hills. While riding along Seminary Ridge, I could see how the land’s rise at the Sherfy Peach Orchard blocked the Confederate view of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. The experience informed my understanding, not only of battlefield events in 1863, but also my personal connection to the meaning of those events. In other words, for me it was all about enjoying the freedom born of physical sacrifice.
After my first bicycle trip to Gettysburg, I was hooked on the value of outdoor, experiential learning. And yet it took a few years to work out the kinks in my self-directed, solo tours. Early on, I was frustrated by the one-way roads, incomplete or inaccurate maps, and not knowing how best to avoid town traffic. Through trial-and-error, 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.
There are many books published on the Battle of Gettysburg, but there was nothing for history lovers who want a full-body experience of bicycle touring. I wrote this book because I could not find a Gettysburg guidebook that met the needs of a bicycling historian. This is that book.
Sue Thibodeau, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide, p. 23 (Amazon paid link at no cost to you).
Lessons Learned Riding the Gettysburg Battlefield
As described above, my first bicycling experience in Gettysburg was safe and fun. But the complicated Gettysburg road networked distracted me. I needed navigational help specific to the time and safety concerns of a bicyclist. I wanted to learn American Civil War history, not puzzle over a road network.
Although the official NPS park map identifies restrooms and picnic areas, it does not provide information about shade, hills, or blind curves. When your body is tired—or energized—you want to know about these things. Not surprisingly, most of the auto tour is open to tour busses, but did you know that some park roads do not allow busses? That is the kind of information that bicyclists want to know.
Not surprisingly, the free park map marks only a very small subset of Gettysburg’s 1,300+ monuments and markers. The more self-directed rides I took over the battlefield, the more I wanted a guidebook for bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park. I wanted something that was both historical in its focus and practical in its guidance to bicyclists.
The U.S. Regulars Monument on Cemetery Ridge
In summary, for the best possible tour, a bicycling tourist is better off not following the official park auto tour and should start riding only after learning:
- Where to find restrooms or water
- What roads are safest
- What roads are one-way
- Laws and policies apply to bicyclists
- What roads are off-limit to busses
- Road names not labeled on many maps
- Where monuments are located
Solving the Logistics Puzzle
Gettysburg National Military Park covers more than 6,000 acres and about 30 miles of smoothly paved park roads. With all there is to see and do, there is no time to get lost or to struggle with traffic or one-way roads.
I learned from my first solo ride that I needed a better map and plan, certainly something more suitable for bicyclists than the NPS auto tour map. So, I scoured bookstores and online resources for maps and books. I was disappointed not to find a single map that met my safety and navigational needs. Books existed for road cyclists passing through the park while on a multi-stater Civil War Bike Tour, or that included large swaths of the Gettysburg countryside. But there were no guidebooks specifically for circular bicycle rides within park boundaries and along park avenues.
I had learned that if I wanted to experience the thrill of freely exploring the battlefield park, I needed maps that are designed for bicyclists who also want to learn as much as they can about the Battle of Gettysburg. Done wasting time, I decided to create my own maps and guidebook to cycle Gettysburg National Military Park.
In 2016, I drafted, tested, and later published a set of fourteen bicycle routes that met the following objectives:
1. Safe, circular routes of varying length and difficulty
2. Historically interesting, thematic routes over key areas
3. Fun routes that showcase the hills and trees of Gettysburg
4. Opportunities to abandon a route and explore freely
Looking southeast from Devil’s Den under what some people say is a “witness tree”
I published my paperback guidebook in 2019. Read a full book description at this shop link: Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide. Alternatively, go directly to the book’s Amazon page (a paid link at no cost to you). In either case, your purchase will help me to offset the cost of hosting this website.
With Civil War Cycling’s maps, cues, and historical insights, you can skip the hassle of reinventing the wheel, so to speak. You can ride at your own pace and in your own way, not having to solve a host of unnecessary navigational challenges.
What are your options for touring Gettysburg on a bike?
If you want a fun, safe, and educational tour without having to struggle with pre-tour logistics and on-tour navigation decisions, your options are limited yet clear.
Option 1—Hire a Tour Guide
Until recently January 1, 2024, your first option would be to contact GettysBike Tours to rent a bicycle and sign-up for a bicycle tour with a Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide. Unfortunately, last I checked GettysBike had closed permanently, although they “may re-open in 2025.”
You can rent bicycles from Gettysburg Bicycle. This is a full-service bicycle shop on 307 York Street, but they do not offer tours.
If you hire a tour guide who will lead your group on a bicycle tour, then having a paperback guidebook is an extra convenience but not a necessity.
On the other hand, you will learn so much more if you prepare for your tour with some pre-reading, especially to study Gettysburg’s monumented landscape and a primer on the Battle of Gettysburg. A guidebook with geographical descriptions and historical summaries will retain its valuable long after your ride, because you can refer to it again and again.
Option 2—Purchase a Guidebook or Maps
Your second option is to purchase a guidebook to cycle Gettysburg or download digital maps that you can print or read on your mobile device. Many people will want a book and companion maps, whether digital or paper. The reason is simply this:
One advantage to grabbing a guidebook to cycle the Gettysburg battlefield is that it can provide much, more more than bicycle maps and cues.
It can offer touring tips, contingency planning ideas, historical summaries, micro-histories, photographs, GPS points, a glossary, and more. These are the things that you will find in Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide.
Click to View on Amazon (where Sue Thibodeau will earn a small fee at no cost to you).
Advantages of Digital (PDF) Maps
In addition to our Gettysburg guidebook, Civil War Cycling publishes digital (PDF) bicycle maps for touring the battlefield park. The downloadable maps offer you several advantages over anything else on the market today. They are:
1. Designed for bicyclists, not motorists
2. Do not require the guidebook
3. Can be used with the book while touring
4. Can be used instead of the book while touring
5. PDF files that have no license keys or passwords
6. PDF files with no security restrictions for printing
Off the auto tour, where busses are prohibited!
Maps that define looped routes through Gettysburg National Military Park are available for immediate purchase and download by clicking “Shop” at CivilWarCycling.com.
No GPS Navigation
I do not recommend real-time GPS navigation while cycling Gettysburg National Military Park, for two reasons.
First and foremost, if you are riding the park for more than a couple hours, you will make frequent turns every 0.1 to 0.2 miles. Glancing constantly at a GPS device so often is not only distracting, but unsafe.
Second, the near constant interaction with technology is not fun when it means that your focus is trained on the mechanics of making turns. This crushes the spirit of a cyclist who would rather enjoy Gettysburg’s spectacular landscape and to feel the roll of the land in one’s body.
The PDF maps that you download from this site do not support GPS navigation, as they are documents sized for readable display on your mobile device (or home computer).
Reading Maps on Your Mobile Device
PDF document maps that you can view on your mobile device during a stop can work really well. Make sure that you have a plan to either conserve or recharge your device battery, especially if you are using a cell phone, since you will want to keep your cell phone charged for emergencies.
The best digital maps are also easily printable. Many cyclists use paper maps as backups when technology fails. Other cyclists prefer to stuff paper maps in my bicycle jersey or panniers. One advantage of paper maps is that you can put them into plastic sleeves or baggies so that your maps are protected from drizzle. (It’s somewhat harder to protect electronics from drizzle and excessive heat while riding if you are using a gadget to direct your tour).
Editorial Reviews for Bicycling Gettysburg
“The best ways to truly see a battlefield are by walking and biking. And biking a battlefield such as Gettysburg provides a rush like no other. Sue has produced a valuable book about how to ride that most hallowed Civil War ground. A definite keeper.” ~John Banks, journalist, blogger, author
“Three days in July 1863 changed America. Whether you are an experienced cyclist or just starting out, a serious historian or history buff, you will want to visit Gettysburg more than once. Make sure you take this guide along.” ~Ken Rich, Gettysburg history buff
“Quite fascinating, Bicycling Gettysburg is a great, easy to read book for history buffs and rookie history learners alike. It is a pictorial book that also has detailed information about the Battle of Gettysburg. I am excited to use the maps and images on my next visit to Gettysburg.” ~SPC Kevin Kozlowski, U.S. Army veteran, American Studies graduate student
Happy Cycling!
February 24, 2019
On great fields something stays
Experiential Learning on a Bicycle
Have you ever felt like the best way to learn history isn’t by reading about it, but by living it? That’s the idea behind experiential learning—and when it happens on a bicycle, history comes alive in motion. Instead of memorizing names, dates, and military movements, you discover meaning through the physical experience of riding. The landscape, the effort, and even the weather become part of how you understand the past.
This article explores what it means to learn history by bike, with a special focus on the Gettysburg battlefield.
In the section “Expressions of Meaning,” we connect the words of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain—a hero of Little Round Top—to the thoughts and emotions of today’s bicycling visitors.
In “What is Experiential Learning at Gettysburg,” you’ll find detailed examples of how riding through Gettysburg National Military Park deepens our understanding of Civil War history.
Expressions of Meaning
“On great fields, something stays…”
Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, who led the 20th Maine at Little Round Top, once said:
In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.
~ Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1889, at the dedication of the Maine monuments in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
20th Maine Infantry Regiment Mounument, Little Round Top, Gettysburg
“… come to this deathless field to ponder and dream”
These poetic words describe the deep pull that many visitors feel at Gettysburg. We may not be able to explain it right away, but the sense of something sacred is real. Millions of people have visited Gettysburg to ponder, to dream, and to reflect on what the place means—not just for the nation, but for ourselves.
On this battlefield in south-central Pennsylvania, more than 51,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing.
What brings us to this deathless field to wonder about the meaning of the death and carnage?
More Than a Ride—A Journey Through Freedom
At Gettysburg, cyclists let the landscape speak through motion and sensation—the sweat of effort, the pull of gravity on a hill, the stillness beneath old oaks. Here, learning is not confined to pages or lecture halls. It’s felt through your body, in the rhythm of your breath and the terrain beneath your tires. The battlefield becomes a living classroom, where history is not only observed but physically experienced.
This is more than a tour or a workout. It’s a personal encounter with the past—an invitation to search for meaning on the very ground where freedom was tested. With every climb and coast, cyclists retrace the contours of sacrifice and resilience. They engage with the echoes of struggle, not just to understand history, but to feel its gravity.
For many, riding through Gettysburg is a quiet form of patriotic expression. It honors the past through presence—choosing to move through it slowly, attentively, and with reverence. Whether you’re gliding down Seminary Ridge or powering through Rose Woods, you’re not just passing landmarks; you’re stepping into the footsteps of history.
There is a particular joy in that freedom—the freedom to choose your path, to pause and reflect, to let the landscape shape your thoughts. The ride becomes a conversation between the present and the past. And in that dialogue, experiential learning takes hold—not only in the mind, but in the heart and body as well.
What is Experiential Learning at Gettysburg?
The concept of experiential learning, or learning through experience, might be as old as human history itself. Around 350 BCE, Aristotle commented that knowledge gained through action was more meaningful than rote memorization. Apprenticeships have been commonplace in work settings for many hundreds of years. John Dewey advocated for hands-on-learning in the United States educational system, and in the 1980’s David Kolb popularized his “experiential learning theory.”
I did not know anything about experiential learning on a bicycle until I rode through Gettysburg National Military Park. It was a thrilling experience. My mind was opened to how accessible history can become when you explore a battlefield site. On my Gettysburg rides, I started to notice the contour of the land and how physical structures like roads and barns helped me to stay oriented on the battlefield. For me, that was the key to understanding the Battle of Gettysburg, a three-day event in 1863 that had always confounded me.
Experiential learning includes learning by doing, planning, and reminiscing. In the following sections, I offer a bicyclist’s perspective on this topic, with particular emphasis on my experience bicycling Gettysburg many dozens of times since 2012.
1. We Learn By Doing
For adults, experiential learning is a hands-on, self-directed way to explore the world. It prioritizes active engagement over passive listening. A bicycle or walking tour immerses you in the landscape in ways a car or bus never could. You aren’t just observing history—you’re stepping into it. As the ride unfolds, you shape your own experience and, in doing so, become part of the story.
Take Gettysburg’s Devil’s Den, for example. Walking among its 200-million-year-old boulders, you might pull out a park map and notice Sickles Avenue looping around the area. Suddenly, Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles becomes more than a name—you begin to see the battlefield through his movements and decisions on July 2, 1863.
Sickles Avenue wraps around Devil’s Den and into Rose Woods, Gettysburg
Outdoor Classrooms
U.S. national military parks are rich outdoor classrooms, offering bicyclists the chance to learn by exploring monuments and preserved terrain. Struggling up the incline of Sykes Avenue toward Little Round Top, you physically grasp what it means to scale the hill that the Union Fifth Corps defended. The brief climb—just 0.2 miles but a 150-foot ascent—teaches more through exertion than pages in a book ever could. In this example, the bicyclist learns through participation the geography of the Gettysburg battlefield and the direction of Maj. Gen. George Sykes’ Fifth Corp line.
Empathy
Experiential learning on a bike connects physical movement with memory, emotion, and place. Riders naturally absorb information from signs, monuments, and maps—but they also develop empathy. Imagine cycling past the open, sun-drenched fields of Pickett’s Charge on a hot July day. You know it’s 87 degrees, and you have water and rest stops. But those young soldiers didn’t. If you walk east from Seminary Ridge and into the field, you can feel the land’s rise. Imagine cresting the rise and suddenly seeing the Union line come into view. At that moment, you will feel a fraction of the fear and awe that Confederate troops might have experienced.
Freedom
For adult learners, this approach is especially powerful. Free from the rigid routines of formal schooling, adults can decide what matters to them, how they want to learn it, and when. Even if your early education made history feel like a jumble of disconnected facts, historical tourism on a bicycle offers a fresh, meaningful way to learn—one that blends freedom, curiosity, and the joy of discovery.
2. We Learn by Planning
Experiential learning begins before the ride—even before your first pedal stroke. It starts with planning, a process that sharpens your focus and transforms curiosity into purpose. For adults, this self-directed preparation is part of the learning itself, requiring initiative and intentional goal-setting.
As you prepare for a historical bike tour, you might come across the idea of “witness trees”—living trees that stood during the Battle of Gettysburg. Intrigued, you dig deeper and decide to locate the Pender, Sickles, and Lincoln Witness Trees. In researching who these figures were and why the trees matter, you’ve already begun your learning journey—before arriving at the park.
Student and Teacher
In this way, the cyclist becomes both student and teacher. As the teacher, you define your own objectives—perhaps to locate every state monument using GPS or to capture specific landmarks in a set of photos. To some, this might seem overly structured, but in reality, it’s a practical strategy for staying focused and making the most of your time. It ensures your ride has meaning, and that you return with both memories and insights.
As the student, you experience the joy of discovery—cruising down quiet park roads, eyes alert for historical markers or topographical features you’ve researched. Your learning is fueled by curiosity and sustained by the physical act of riding. You explore with intention, connecting what you see with what you’ve read, and what you feel with what others may have experienced long ago.
Experiential learning on a bicycle is a dynamic, immersive, and deeply personal way to learn.
3. We Learn by Reminiscing
Experiential learning does not end when the ride does. After a historical bike tour, reflection deepens the learning by helping cyclists connect what they experienced to what they already know and what they might do differently in the future.
A rider might recall how the tough climb up Culp’s Hill gave them a physical sense of the soldiers’ hardship, or how standing quietly among the monuments deepened their appreciation for the human cost of the battle.
The experience might even inspire civic engagement—for example, when a visitor notices that Plum Run Valley has become a flooded habitat altered by beaver activity, and takes the initiative to ask how the battlefield can be preserved.
The experiential learner may ask: What surprised me? What challenged my assumptions? These reflections turn experience into lasting insight.
20th Maine Infantry Monument (Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain, commander)
Joshua Chamberlain Reminisces…
A professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine, Joshua Chamberlain’s oratory skills have moved generations of Americans. His 1889 speech interwove themes from President Lincoln’s (1863) Gettysburg Address and Chamberlain’s own reflections on the battle’s meaning. Specifically, Col. Chamberlain appealed to the patriotic virtues of service, union, freedom, and law:
Having commanded a regiment at a pivotal point of the battle on Little Round Top, some twenty five years before, Chamberlain had returned to the battlefield to reflect upon the enduring meaning of “this deathless field.” In that speech, Chamberlain embraced President Abraham Lincoln’s resolve that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” He proclaimed the centrality of “service” in the preservation of “one body, one freedom and one law.”
~ Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park (Victor, New York: Civil War Cycling, 2019), 20.
Find Your “Why” on the Ride
Your bike becomes a vehicle not just for motion, but for meaning. Chamberlain spoke of souls being wrapped in the “shadow of a mighty presence.” You’ll know what he meant when you pause in a quiet grove or feel your breath quicken on a hard climb. You’re not just observing history; you’re participating in it.
That’s the gift of cycling Gettysburg: it teaches not through lectures, but through experience. And once you’ve felt that connection, you’ll never look at history—or freedom—the same way again.
How to Become a Bicycling Historian
Let’s begin your journey of experiential learning on a bicycle. First, select a large national military park that has smoothly paved park avenues. Gettysburg, Antietam, Chickamauga, Shiloh, or Vicksburg are all good choices. Then get a bike and a good set of maps and some reading material. Plan, ride, reflect, rinse, repeat.
Do you want to try experiential learning on a bicycle?
Visit Civil War Cycling’s Shop for printed guidebooks and downloadable maps.
January 14, 2019
Gettysburg Cycling Tips – Guest Post, John Banks Blog
When John Banks invited me to write an article for John Banks’ Civil War Blog, I jumped at the chance to share my “10 Gettysburg cycling tips for adventurous learners.“ It was published on October 26. I hope that you enjoy it. (If you are not familiar with John’s colorful and well-written Civil War history blog, you will find plenty of interesting stories and photographs on his website.)
Freedom!
As an introduction to my Gettysburg cycling tips, let me first say this…
Bicycling Gettysburg is a subject near and dear to my heart. And yet there’s a yearning that is difficult to explain. There’s a pull.
First, when I bicycle Gettysburg, there’s a natural pull to connect with hills, trees, rocks, and even pavement. I feel alive and free. I am free to ride, free to explore, and free to learn. But also, I feel free to smell like I’ve been playing in the dirt (and quietly proud about that).
In other words, I enjoy the physical expression of personal freedom. Muscles move, lungs move, and my eyes dart about looking for some new vantage point from which to understand the human story of Gettysburg 1863.
Second, though, when I am not bicycling Gettysburg, I wish otherwise. l feel a pull to leave New York and head south. I miss the Gettysburg landscape. I miss its countless opportunities to connect not only with the land but with our nation’s history. So, besides feeling personally free, I also think about what “freedom” means in a national context.
A New Birth of Freedom
November 19, 1863
Next month, we celebrate the 155th Anniversary of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address at the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery. In 272 words that packed a punch, President Lincoln expressed the meaning of the carnage of Gettysburg — the site of the bloodiest, most deadly conflict in the Western Hemisphere.
President Lincoln promised that this nation “shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
One Day after Election Day 2018
Today, one day after a national election, all of these things are in my mind — bicycling, freedom, Gettysburg, Lincoln, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, e pluribus unum. I want to hop on my bike and ride. Unfortunately, it will be a few years before I can move south to Gettysburg to indulge my impulses.
Gettysburg Cycling Tips … The Big Tease
Finally, what about those Gettysburg cycling tips? Click here: “10 Gettysburg cycling tips for adventurous learners.“
Below, please enjoy a reproduction of some of the photographs that you will find in my October 26 post. Follow this link to understand how each photograph connects to a practical tip for exploring Gettysburg National Military Park on a bicycle.
View from Little Round Top, looking southwest.
Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade Equestrian Monument, Cemetery Ridge.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee Equestrian Monument (on top of Virginia State Monument), Seminary Ridge.
Union cannon on Cemetery Ridge facing the Codori Barn and Seminary Ridge (in the distance).
Looking west from the Copse of Trees on Cemetery Ridge. The Virginia State Monument is visible in the distance.
Looking east near the Virginia State Monument. Can you spot Meade’s Equestrian Monument (left side of the fence, in the distance), the tree at The Angle (right side of the fence), The Copse of Trees (right of The Angle)?
With a good set of maps, you can use Gettysburg’s barns, ridges, roads, and tall historic monuments to stay oriented on the battlefield.
Please click here to visit John Banks’ Civil War Blog to read how easy it is for bicycling historians (and other outdoor adventurers) to learn-by-doing at Gettysburg National Military Park.
November 7, 2018
Maps for Bicycling Gettysburg – Get Yours!
NEWS – Today, Civil War Cycling announces the immediate availability of digital (PDF) maps for bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park. For a complete listing of fourteen different safe, fun, and educational bicycle routes through the Gettysburg battlefield, please visit the Digital Maps section of our Shop. You can purchase a map for bicycling Gettysburg for as little as $2.95.
The maps supplement the guidebook, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide, which will be available for pre-order on January 14, 2019. Together, the book and companion maps, although useful independent of one another, provide an outdoor, experiential learning framework for adventurous, self-directed students of all ages.
Maps for bicycling Gettysburg …
How to get your maps NOW
Click Shop. Next, find the map that you want. Then click Buy Now and interact with PayPal screens to complete the purchase. Although PayPal manages the checkout process, you do not need a PayPal account, only a debit or credit card. The transaction is secure. After you authorize payment, you will be sent an email with a download link to your PDF map.
Enjoy your maps (no license keys)
You can print Civil War Cycling’s PDF for your personal use without having to hassle with license keys or any kind of “digital rights management.”
Most bicyclists will print maps for bicycling Gettysburg and then stuff them into jersey pockets, panniers, or handlebar map bags for use during a bicycle ride. You can also read the PDF file on your mobile device (if you have a PDF reader) during a battlefield stop. For safety reasons, Civil War Cycling’s maps are not designed for use while riding your bicycle.
Would you like to see sample map pages?
If you would like to view some sample pages before purchasing a map, please look for the FREE GNMP Route 12 Companion Map in the Digital Maps section of our Shop.
Civil War Cycling designed its bicycling maps for Gettysburg in a way that minimizes the bicyclist’s exposure to town traffic. The maps describe safe, circular routes through park land.
September 28, 2018
New Guidebook for Bicycling Gettysburg – Get Yours!
March 2019 UPDATE: Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park is released!
NEWS – Today, Civil War Cycling announces plans to publish the guidebook, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park, starting first with a limited set of Advance Review Copies. These pre-release copies offer a sneak peek of you to learn U.S. Civil War history on a bike. And also, the guidebook is complete, tested, copy-edited, proofread, and ready to send to a commercial printer.
Take a ride back in time…
Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park is a guidebook for both experienced and recreational bicyclists. But it also includes a treasure trove of historical summaries that most everyone can understand. For the bicyclist, the narrative relies heavily on the Gettysburg landscape and historic monuments to tell the story of the Battle of Gettysburg.
But first, a little background. I didn’t start out to write a guidebook. What really happened was different; I experienced the Gettysburg battlefield as a big puzzle of roads, monuments, and ridges. I enjoyed figuring out the “best” bicycle routes through Gettysburg and creating maps that identify orienteering landmarks. And then I lost myself in the fun of sharing what I had learned about biking Gettysburg.
In the same way, I reveled in the experience of snapping photos. I got hooked reading monument inscriptions and connecting them with stories that I had read.
And now, after four years of fun but intense work, it’s time to publish this guidebook for biking Gettysburg.
New Guidebook for Bicycling Gettysburg – Quick Description
The guidebook includes:
- 34 highly detailed, color bicycling maps over 6,000 acres of park land
- Turn-by-turn directions for a 8-mile circuit, mostly on park roads
- Tips on bicycling gear, restrooms, water, picnic areas, racks,
- 100+ monument photos and GPS points, most marked on maps
- Map-to-text and text-to-map cross references for learning on the road
- Monument histories tied to all 3 days of battle events (July 1-3, 1863)
- 35 labeled landscape photos
- Orienteering tips to connect the battle story to Gettysburg geography
- Concise summary of the Battle of Gettysburg
- 6-page glossary of basic Civil War terms
- 10-page annotated bibliography
- 173 endnotes that document sources
New Guidebook for Bicycling Gettysburg – More Details
Sample Segment Map
The book tells the three-day story of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) from the perspective of a bicyclist. It is packed with 34 maps, more than 100 photos and GPS points, human interest stories, and years of cycling experience that — all in one book — provide expert guidance on planning a 23.8-mile Gettysburg bicycle tour.
For history buffs, Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park provides a never before published experiential framework for learning U.S. Civil War history on a bicycle. Even if you never plan a bicycle tour, this book makes it easy to tour the battlefield landscape in your mind while learning about the people impacted by the Battle of Gettysburg.
Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park is a 6″ x 9″, full-color, 286-page guidebook that unlocks the logistical keys to a safe, educational, and fun bicycle ride through Gettysburg.
Sample Labeled Photograph
Early praise for the book’s companion maps
“The maps are wonderful. They are easy to carry and give you clear options for longer or shorter rides. They are sufficiently detailed to enable you to catch upcoming turns from one road to another and to keep your bearings in relation to the rest of the battlefield; but not so detailed as to be overwhelming. To make use of them is to see the full — and delightful — advantages of touring a battlefield on a bike.” ~ J. Edelman, University Professor
October 2018 UPDATE: GNMP Companion Maps are now available for purchase as PDF files. The format is much different than the physical maps shown below. Click here to purchase your digital maps online.
I can’t wait to share all of this material with you!
June 25, 2018
Master Gettysburg July 3 with Interactive Tools
How does someone play at learning U.S. Civil War history? Engaging with interactive web tools is one great place to start. For example, if you want to develop a more detailed understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg, try Civil War Cycling’s “Master Gettysburg July 3 with Interactive Tools.” These tools will help you to gain a “who’s who” knowledge of the principal battlefield commanders on July 3, 1863.
Click here for Master Gettysburg July 3
This is the third of three sets of quizzes and links to photos and maps on the Battle of Gettysburg. After playing with the quizzes, please share your feedback on any Civil War Cycling web page, or post a private comment through the “Contact Us” link.
Master Gettysburg July 3 with Interactive Tools
When it’s too cold to bicycle (or when you are too far away from a national park), interactive quizzes make it easy to beef-up your knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg. They are “exercise equipment” for your brain. You will not be asked any personal information or need to click through annoying ads. Honestly, it’s just good ol’ healthy fun!
January 30, 2018
Master Gettysburg July 2 with Interactive Tools
I am convinced more than ever that we need to put the play back into our study of American history. Mostly, I play on my bike. But in cold weather, I play with interactive history tools that I made for myself, because I couldn’t find anything on the web. I needed something short, simple, repetitive, and quick. And I needed these tools to help me make connections between people, places, things, and events. “Master Gettysburg July 2 with Interactive Tools” is one answer to the student’s problem of needing to master enough facts to get to the big, meaningful themes of history.
Click here for Master Gettysburg July 2
“Master Gettysburg July 2 with Interactive Tools” is the second of three sets of quizzes and links to photos and maps on the Battle of Gettysburg. Today, it’s July 2, 1863. Please let me know how these quizzes work for you. I would love to read your comments or feedback on any Civil War Cycling website page, or privately through the “Contact Us” link.
Master Gettysburg July 2 with Interactive Tools
Although I have two Master’s degrees (none in history) and so-called “smartness,” my first time reading Edwin Coddington’s 866-page classic tome, The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command, was painful, because I knew very little about the battle. I didn’t know enough about Gettysburg to understand the main story line! So, I put the book aside for a long time.
Years later, after changing my approach to studying, I can read the book and understand it. One day, I hope to be able to read the book and remember more than what I do right now.
For me, what made all the difference in the world was injecting more time for fun in my studies.
It started by riding my bicycle through battlefields and taking time to enjoy the landscape, read the signs, and study monument inscriptions. I am obsessed with bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park. What I learned on those tours helped me to remember enough of Gettysburg “who’s who” to understand Coddington’s massive but well-written book. And during the winter months, creating online interactive quizzes helped me to solidify many factual details that floated around like free radicals in my brain.
The educator in me knows that a certain amount of memorization is necessary to understand history. And the larger the gap between the reader’s vocabulary and the educational text, the harder the learning process.
The fix is to find fun ways to drill the “facts” into your memory for safe-keeping. Civil War Cycling publishes interactive, online quizzes that supplement articles, photo galleries, videos, and maps that help learners like me.
Give it a try!
You can master Gettysburg July 2 with interactive tools. Start here: “Gettysburg July 2 – Master the Basics Quiz,”
January 23, 2018