Ponder on the Porch

NPS Photo

Challenge 3: Ponder on the Porch 

Visit the Ray House and imagine how their family home was transformed by battle into a field hospital. 

Reflect on their observations and actions as they assisted with medical procedures, moved the dead and lived through the bloodshed on their land. 

 

Details

Duration

2-8 Hours

Depending on the time you have to visit the battlefield you can spend an hour or stay all day.

Activity

Living History

Improve Your Mental Wellness 

Being outdoors provides you with a place to escape from the stressors of everyday life and enter a calm space to connect with your thoughts. The National Park Service Wellness Challenge allows you to take a breath, relax and embrace your surroundings to benefit your mental health. 

Challenge 1: Reflect at Wilson’s Creek 

Relax by the waters of Wilson’s Creek which flows through the entire park and offers many locations for moments of peace. You can stroll over the bridges, sit near the creek beds, or have a picnic.

Stop to reflect on the lives lost during the battle and let the sound of the water transport your mind to a place of reflection.  

Age(s)

4-90

All ages are welcome.

Pets Allowed

Yes

Pets are allowed anywhere outdoors in the park as long as the pet is on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Service animals are allowed indoors where there is public access.

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Location

Historic Ray House at Tour Stop # 2

Second tour stop along the 5-mile self guided auto tour. 

Reservations

No

Season

Spring

Summer months are frequently hot and humid, with occasional showers and thunderstorms. Winter months (especially January and February) are frequently cold, with occasional ice and light snow. Spring and fall months are generally pleasant, with occasional showers.

Time of Day

Day

Tour road, battlefield, and trails are open during posted hours (changes by season). Tour Road opens at 7:00 am for walkers and bicycles only. Vehicle entrance begins at 8:00 am. The visitor center and museum hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, seven days a week. 

Accessibility Information

The Ray House Trail is paved to within 50 feet of the Ray House. When the house is staffed, visitors who access the building via an accessible ramp at the rear of the house over a grassy surface. 

Contact:  

• Phone: [phone] 

• Email: [e-mail]   

Trail Information 

• Gibson Mill: 1 mile and 40 ft elevation change 

• Ray Cornfield: 1 mile and 80 ft elevation change (horses allowed) 

• Ray House: <0.25 mile and 30 ft elevation change 

• Ray Springhouse: <0.25 mile and 30 ft elevation change 

• East Overlook: <0.25 mile and 60 ft elevation change 

• Pulaski Battery: <0.25 mile and 50 ft elevation change 

• Manley Uplands: 2.5 miles and 170 ft elevation change (horses allowed) 

• Southwest: 1.7 miles and 140 ft elevation change (horses allowed) 

• Wire Road: 1.7 miles and 150 ft elevation change (horses allowed) 

• Bloody Hill: 0.5 mile and 60 ft elevation change 

• Bloody Hill Spur: 0.5 mile and 100 ft elevation change 

• Du Bois’s Battery: 0.25 mile and <10 ft elevation change 

• West Overlook: 0.25 mile and <10 ft elevation change 

Learn more about accessibility at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.