A practical, interactive companion for our route from North Carolina to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pottsville and Gettysburg — with the battlefield story, must-see ground, family-history stop, maps, times, addresses, trivia and trip details in one place.
Built around what matters most: enough time for Gettysburg, a real museum visit, the North Carolina connection, Eisenhower and WWII if time allows, plus room to enjoy the campground.
Tap a marker for why it matters. Use the filters to isolate the battlefield, family-history stop, lodging, food and side trips. For battlefield navigation on the ground, use the official NPS map/app as the authority.
Gettysburg makes more sense if you follow the three days in order. The armies did not arrive all at once; the battlefield expanded as troops poured toward this crossroads town.
Confederate forces approached from the west and north. Union troops fought west of town around McPherson Ridge and the railroad cut, buying time until superior Confederate numbers forced them back through Gettysburg. The Union line re-formed on the commanding high ground of Cemetery Hill, with reinforcements arriving through the night.
Stand here: McPherson Ridge, Reynolds Woods, Oak Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Cemetery Hill.
The armies occupied roughly parallel ridges: the Union on Cemetery Ridge and the Confederates on Seminary Ridge. Longstreet's attack hit the Union left through the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil's Den and Round Tops. Fighting also erupted at Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill on the Union right. The Union line bent but held.
Stand here: Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, Culp's Hill, East Cemetery Hill.
Fighting resumed at Culp's Hill in the morning. Later, a massive artillery bombardment preceded the Confederate infantry assault across open ground toward Cemetery Ridge. Roughly 12,000 men participated in the larger assault commonly called Pickett's Charge; the attack was repulsed. Lee's army began its retreat on July 4.
Stand here: North Carolina Monument / Seminary Ridge, Pickett-Pettigrew fields, The Angle, High Water Mark.
These are the stops to prioritize. Your plan intentionally spreads them over Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday so you can get out of the car and actually look at the terrain.
Opening battle ground on July 1. Look east toward town and west toward the Confederate approach to understand why the first day's fight developed here.
Maj. Gen. John Reynolds was killed early in the battle while directing Union troops. This area anchors the human story of the first morning.
Key Confederate position. On July 3, assault columns stepped off from the western ridge toward the Union center.
On Confederate Avenue along Seminary Ridge. Dedicated in 1929, it depicts North Carolina soldiers advancing. This is a non-negotiable family-history stop for your trip.
A salient in the Union line on July 2. Standing here makes the vulnerability of the advanced position much easier to see.
One of the most violently contested landscapes of July 2; possession shifted repeatedly during the fighting.
Boulder-strewn terrain below Little Round Top. Use it to understand how broken ground shaped sight lines and movement.
Critical Union left-flank high ground. The NPS walking area now uses rehabilitated trails; give this stop time rather than treating it as a photo pull-off.
The Union right. Fighting here on July 2–3 is essential to understanding that Gettysburg was far more than Pickett's Charge.
Confederate troops briefly reached the crest during the evening attack of July 2 but could not hold it.
The focal point of the July 3 assault against the Union center and an excellent Friday sunset introduction to the battlefield.
Dedicated November 19, 1863. Lincoln's address transformed the meaning of the war into a renewed claim about Union, equality and democratic government.
Why it is a must: your family has an ancestor who fought at Gettysburg. This stop turns the battlefield from national history into family history.
The National Park Service identifies the monument as representing North Carolina soldiers at Gettysburg. It was dedicated in 1929. Archival NPS records show the site-selection process began in the 1920s; the selected site was along Confederate Avenue. The monument stands on the Confederate line from which North Carolina troops advanced during the battle.
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610 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Site 69. Pool open Memorial Day–Labor Day; mini golf is free for campground guests.
1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325
August hours: 8 AM–5 PM. Start with the orientation film, Cyclorama and museum.
GPS: 250 Eisenhower Farm Road, Gettysburg, PA
Grounds sunrise–sunset. Summer/fall 2026 home tours Thu–Mon, 10 AM–3 PM, first come/first served.
845 Crooked Creek Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Sunday 12–4 PM. Note: Gettysburg Jeep Fest is scheduled at the museum Aug. 14–15, 2026.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
March–December tours Mon–Sat, 10 AM–3 PM; about 1 hour; free; closed-toe shoes; ~160 stairs.
32 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Classic downtown diner stop, convenient to the center of town and railroad-station area.
Carlisle Street / downtown Gettysburg
The historic station is tied to Lincoln's November 1863 visit for the cemetery dedication.
Annville, Pennsylvania
Active military installation. Your Friday visit is primarily a personal-history drive-by; follow current access/security requirements.
Fri 8/14: sunset ~8:09 PM
Sat 8/15: sunset ~8:07 PM
Sun 8/16: sunrise ~6:21 AM; sunset ~8:06 PM
Mon 8/17: sunrise ~6:22 AM
Approximate; weather and horizon affect what you see.
Check these as you visit. Progress is saved on this device.
A quick family quiz for the car, campsite or picnic table. No grades, just bragging rights.
Use these for current conditions, closures, maps, program changes and final confirmation before you leave.