Why you need a guidebook to cycle Gettysburg

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 

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

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