Petersburg - The Breakthrough Interpretative Trail

Dogs Leashed

Wayside exhibits provide information and orientation along the way on the trail. Please remain on the marked trail throughout your visit and watch for ticks and other wildlife. There are no restrooms or drinking facilities, so please be prepared in advance for your visit.

Prohibited Materials and Activities
No Relic Hunting · No Climbing of Earthworks · No Fires · No Camping · No Drugs or Alcoholic Beverages · No Weapons · No Hunting · No Mountain Bikes · No Geocaching

The Breakthrough Battlefield Trail is a 1.6-mile (3.2-mile out and back) that connects Petersburg National Battlefield to Pamplin Historical Park. Please allow 2.5 hours for this as a hike. The trail takes you over the land in which one of the most decisive attacks of the entire Civil War took place.

On April 2, 1865, some 14,000 Unions soldiers crossed eight hundred yards of open ground and attacked 2,800 Confederates manning a line of earthworks protecting access to Petersburg. The Union Army broke the Confederate line which prompted General Lee to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond.

Enjoy the scenic vista from Fort Welsh that was created when the American Battlefield Trust undertook a $453,000 restoration project to restore the battlefield to its 1864 appearance.