Last updated: April 26, 2025
Thing to Do
Go to a Ranger-led Program
NPS
The National Park Service (NPS) offers ranger-led programs throughout the year. Topics may include the geography, peopling, and history of the Shenandoah Valley, including the Civil War and Battle of Cedar Creek.
The park calendar lists scheduled NPS programs and events. Check with our partners for other activities at their properties or outside the park boundary.
Outdoor programs may be cancelled or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Contact us ahead of your visit.
Ranger Program Descriptions
Daily Ranger Talk
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
Meet the Shenandoah Valley landscape, its natural features, and long record of human settlement. A ranger talks about why it is dotted with Civil War battlefields and is home to this national park. Meet near the picnic area on Belle Grove’s front lawn.
Cedar Creek Battlefield Tour
Ranger-led Driving Tour, 2 hours
Drive Cedar Creek Battlefield to retrace events of October 19, 1864. Follow the ranger’s car to five or six key battlefield landmarks. Specialty battlefield tours may be periodically scheduled. Topics include Sheridan's counterattack, cavalry at Cedar Creek, and a monuments tour of the battlefield.
19th Corps Trenches
Ranger-led Walk, 1 hour 30 minutes
A woodland walk along Civil War trenches preserved by Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation and Belle Grove Plantation. A Confederate surprise attack overran the US 19th Corps here in the early morning of October 19, 1864.
Battlefield & Ballot Box
Ranger-led Walk, 1 hour
Learn how US soldiers participated in the 1864 state and presidential elections by voting from the front lines in the Shenandoah Valley.
Black History Programs
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
Meet at Belle Grove. Glimpse the life of Judah, the enslaved cook at the plantation. Hear the story of Abba and Frank Thornton, who bore a 35-member family. They saw some of those family members reach freedom. Learn how professional archaeology projects have revealed important unrecorded information about the enslaved quarters site.
Farm, Family, Freedom
Ranger-led Walk, 1 hour
Join a park ranger to visit an 1800s farm. See the Shenandoah Valley from its early settlements through the Civil War and Reconstruction through the eyes of families who lived there
Historic Middletown
Ranger-led Walk, 1 hour 30 minutes
Learn how the Valley Turnpike affected the lives of townsfolk before, during, and after the Civil War. The Middletown Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Star Party
Ranger-led Talk, 30 minutes (plus additional time to use telescopes at your own pace)
Gaze at the night sky with the National Park Service and the Shenandoah Astronomical Society. Telescopes will be provided for night sky viewing.
Partner Tours
Plantation House Tours
Belle Grove Plantation offers regular guided tours of the 1797 Manor House. Visit bellegrove.org for more information.
Other Tours
Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation offer tours of area battlefields or other historic places. Visit them online for more information.
Details
Activity
Guided Tours
Pets Allowed
Yes
Activity Fee
No
Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.
Reservations
No
Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Time of Day
Day, Dusk
Accessibility Information
The Visitor Contact Station, where some programs start, is wheelchair accessible. Physical accessibility of trails and sites around the park varies. Parking is very limited in some places.
Check with our partners for programs and events at their properties or outside the park boundary.