Doggin' Gettysburg National Military Park: Hike With Your Dog Across America's Most Famous Battlefield

Experienced canine hikers are all too aware of the prohibitions against dogs on
national park trails but not so many know about the hidden gems the national park
service reserves for dog owners: historical parks and battlefields. Dogs are typically
allowed anywhere outside buildings in these places and hikers will often find the
same mountain views, verdant forests and refreshing streams familiar in national
parks. All with the added bonus of engaging in our shared heritage along these tail-
friendly trails.

Gettysburg National Military Park, where Civil War Union forces halted a
Confederate invasion commanded by Robert E. Lee, in south-central Pennsylvania is
America's most-visited battlefield. A good way for dog owners to digest the most
analyzed three days in American history (July 1-3, 1863) - and escape the crowds -
is to leave the auto tour and explore the grounds on foot. The battlefield swallows
the town of Gettysburg although most of your walking will take place in quiet farmland
and boulder-studded hillsides south of the village where the climactic fighting took
place.

A full day to hike with your dog can be crafted on the 9-mile Billy Yank Trail
and the 3.5-mile Johnny Reb Trail. Part of the Gettysburg Heritage Trails Program,
printed guides lead the way on these rambles. Shorter canine hikes include the
one-mile High Water Mark Trail that interprets the final desperate Confederate race
across nearly one mile of open ground by the 12,000-man "Pickett's Charge" and an
historic climb that twists through the woods to the summit of Big Round Top, a
crucial Union position on the top of Cemetery Ridge.

While at Gettysburg, also take time to hike with your dog on informal trails
leading to more than 1,400 statues and memorials erected to remember this most
historic of American ground, where more men fell than in any battle ever fought in
the United States.

Gettysburg National Military Park can be found on Route 15 in southcentral
Pennsylvania, north of the Maryland border and south of the town of Gettysburg.

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