News Release

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield to rehabilitate pavement along the tour road and throughout the battlefield with funding from the Great American Outdoors Act.

NPS/ M. Pearce

News Release Date: May 30, 2025 Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield to rehabilitate pavement along the tour road and throughout the battlefield with funding from the Great American Outdoors Act.

REPUBLIC, MO – Between June 30 – August 6, the NPS and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will complete pavement rehabilitation on high-priority roads through contract work. The battlefield received Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Funding to utilize proactive pavement preservation techniques, such as crack sealing, chip sealing, patching, joint and crack repair, and restriping to extend the useful surface life of parking lots and roadways within the battlefield.

“In 2024, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield received more than 357,000 visitors who came to explore the hallowed grounds of the battlefield and learn about our nation’s history,” said Superintendent Sarah Cunningham. “This pavement preservation project will improve the experience and safety for visitors and would not be possible without the support of the Legacy Restoration Funds the park has received.”

The public can expect some time-limited intermittent closures and/or re-routing to safely accommodate necessary construction work, including approximately 3-5 days of the tour road closure between July 7 – 25, 2025, weather pending. The park is coordinating with the contractor to minimize impacts to visitors. The visitor center, museum, and picnic area will remain open and available during normal operational hours.

For additional information on whether closures will occur on a given day, call the park’s visitor center at 417-732-2662 or 417-732-6596 or visit the website at nps.gov/wicr, or the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Facebook page.

GAOA helps address deferred maintenance and repair needs in national parks throughout the country. Supported by revenue from energy development, GAOA provides the National Park Service with up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors. GAOA has funded more than 100 multimillion-dollar, large-scale infrastructure projects and 300 smaller MAT activities, many of them historic preservation, in national parks throughout the country.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.