This hike was performed by members of Pack and Troop 802 on 29 October 2016. The trail is one of five required segments of the Gettysburg Heritage Trails program and explores several key battleground sites located East of Taneytown Road including Cemetery Hill, Steven’s Knoll, the Eastern Battlefield Observation Tower, Spangler’s Spring, and Pardee Field. Full instructions for this hike are located in the Gettysburg Heritage Trail guide available from the New Birth of Freedom Council store or the Gettysburg visitor center bookstore. Additional information about the Gettysburg Heritage Trails Program is located here
Directions in the trail guide start from the visitor’s center but if you are not visiting the museum and cyclorama it is more convenient to park in the National Cemetery parking lot located on the West Side of Taneytown road across the street from National Cemetery. The trail guide instructs your group to pass through the National Cemetery to Cemetery Hill located on the East Side of Baltimore Pike. The National Cemetery is covered in the trail guide within the Museum and Visitor Center segment but is worth exploring in conjunction with this hike.
There are no public facilities located along the route but there are numerous shops along the route especially in the vicinity of Lincoln Square. This is an easy to moderate hike and should be accessible to most hiker ability groups.
