Summer and Fall Hikes, Tours & Lectures
Join Us In the Field and Online in 2025
The American Battlefield Trust proudly presents our 2025 History Hikes, Tours, and Lectures series. This year's lineup can be experienced in-person or online from the comfort of your living room.
Hikes & Tours
Join fellow American Battlefield Trust members in the field at Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Manassas, Spotsylvania, and other battlefields for in-person tours and hikes led by renowned historians and guides.
Are the tours you'd like to attend full? Join the waitlist.
Online Lectures & Photo Extravaganzas
Can't make it in person? We're also offering a variety of online lectures covering topics from the Wounding of James Longstreet to Dwight Eisenhower's connection to Gettysburg, Garry Adelman Photo Extravaganza, and everything in between.
Registration
Each hike, tour, and lecture has a registration fee associated with the session. These fees support American Battlefield Trust education efforts and pay for the permits associated with the tours. They also help us offer members more quality programming worldwide.
We look forward to seeing you online and in the field this summer and fall! Please visit our event website to register for anything you see here.
Are the tours you'd like to attend full? Join the waitlist.
Cancellation policy:
- Gettysburg’s First Day along the Chambersburg Pike: Full refund if canceled on or before August 26, 2025.
- Culp’s and East Cemetery Hill: Close Calls on the Right Flank: Full refund if canceled on or before August 26, 2025.
- Henry Hill at Manassas National Battlefield: Full refund if canceled on or before October 13, 2025.
- The Second Battle of Manassas: Full refund if canceled on or before October 13, 2025.
- Lectures & Photo Extravaganza Cancellations: Full refund if canceled five days before the scheduled lecture or Photo Extravaganza.
- No refunds after the cancellation dates.
Please Note
- These are HIKING tours, and they are not for the faint of heart. Please read the description of each tour before choosing to join us.
- Lunch and buses will not be provided on these tours. Participants are expected to bring their own water, food, and supplies for each hike.
- Check back later this year as we will announce more lectures and tours!
We look forward to seeing you in the field and online this summer and fall!
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 9:15 am – 12:15 pm
Henry Hill at Manassas National Battlefield (This Tour is Full: Join the Waitlist)
Type of Event: Tour
Guide: Garry Adelman
Cost: $50.00 Per Person
Exertion: We rate this hike as EASY TO MODERATE. We will mostly follow the 1.1-mile Henry Hill Walking Trail, which is mostly grassy but may include rocks, mud, branches, tree roots, and other obstacles.
Description: At a time when most people thought the war would be a short affair, Americans fought one another in the costliest battle in American History, up to that time, and Henry Hill was the place that hosted much of it. Here, Thomas Jackson became Stonewall. Here, soldiers had difficulty determining who was friend or foe. Here, the fighting seesawed back and forth in the summer heat as the first civilian death of the war occurred. And here, above Bull Run and north of Manassas, the Civil War was set on its terrible and bloody course. Join the Trust’s chief historian and licensed battlefield guide, Garry Adelman for an epic hike of the Manassas Battlefield. We'll explore multiple dimensions of photography, bust some myths, and sort out who did what where on Henry Hill at Manassas!
Please note: the ongoing government shutdown will not impact this tour. While we will not have access to the visitor center or the restrooms, the grounds are open for visitation and tours.
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 1:45 pm – 5:00 pm
The Second Battle of Manassas (This Tour is Full: Join the Waitlist)
Type of Event: Hike
Guide: Sarah Kay Bierle
Cost: $30.00 Per Person
Exertion: We rate this tour as EASY TO MODERATE. It involves some 3 - 3.5 miles of walking and several stops. We will mostly follow mowed and grassy trails, but may include rocks, mud, branches, tree roots, and other obstacles.
Description: Come walk some trails at Second Manassas and explore the opening shots of the battle fought on August 28-30, 1862. As the hike continues, view the topography that Union troops charged across and the deep railroad that Confederates defended while waiting for their reinforcements to arrive. Though throwing rocks is prohibited for good tour etiquette, we will explore the primary sources of this desperate defensive measure and other hardships that soldiers on both sides experienced during this determined fight that altered the course of the Civil War in the East during 1862.
Please note: the ongoing government shutdown will not impact this tour. While we will not have access to the visitor center or the restrooms, the grounds are open for visitation and tours.
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 7:15 pm (EST)
To the Last Extremity: The 1780 Siege of Charleston
Type of Event: Online Lecture
Speaker: Mark Maloy
Cost: $5.50 for Access
Description: In the spring of 1780, a massive British force arrived outside the city of Charleston, South Carolina, and laid siege to the city. This siege resulted in the worst defeat of the Revolutionary War for the Americans, as they lost the city and an entire army of nearly 6,000 men. The fall of Charleston initiated a series of events that ultimately resulted in the American victory at Yorktown and the successful independence of the United States. Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the United States. Numerous sites, battlefields, and buildings from the Revolutionary period still exist. Join historian Mark Maloy as he recounts the history of the Revolutionary War in Charleston and shows you the places where the events actually took place.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 7:15 pm (EST)
Ike and Gettysburg: General, President, and Gentleman Farmer
Type of Event: Online Lecture
Speaker: Kristopher White
Cost: $5.50 for Access
Description: This engaging lecture explores the deep connection between Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—a place that became both a strategic symbol of his leadership and a cherished personal refuge.
The session delves into Eisenhower's decision to purchase a historic farm near the Gettysburg Battlefield, his first and only permanent home, during a pivotal time in his career. We'll examine how this iconic location influenced his presidency, from hosting world leaders at his farmhouse to embodying ideals of peace and democracy. The talk will also reflect on Eisenhower's earlier ties to Gettysburg as a young officer training military units on the historic battlefield during World War I.
Through this journey, participants will gain insights into how Eisenhower's connection to Gettysburg shaped his identity as a soldier, statesman, and advocate for global stability, leaving a legacy that continues to resonate in American history.