Alerts & Current Conditions

 

Alerts

 

Winters at Valley Forge are cold and damp with a cool spring and fall and a hot and humid summer. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended for outdoor recreation during the snowy winter season. Find more detailed weather information here: www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/weather.htm

Weather Details

 

What's Open and Closed at Valley Forge

What's Open:

• Roads, trails, grounds, and parking lots.

• The visitor center and museum exhibit. The Visitor Center at Valley Forge and The Encampment Store are open 7 days a week, 9 AM to 5 PM. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days.

• Park Theater. The 19-minute orientation film Determined to Persevere: The Valley Forge Encampment is shown on the hour and the half-hour from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Learn more here, or ask a ranger at the visitor center for details. The park's visitor orientation film can also be viewed online here.

• Washington's Headquarters and Historic Valley Forge Station. Washington's Headquarters and the exhibit in the train station are open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM.

• Public restrooms in parking lots. Open restroom facilities include:

- Artillery Park parking lot
- Betzwood picnic area parking lot
- Varnum's picnic area parking lot
- Visitor Center lower parking lot
- Washington's Headquarters parking lot
- Wayne's Woods picnic area parking lot
- Wilson Road parking lot.

Please be aware that these restrooms may be closed periodically for cleaning.

• Wayne's Woods picnic area.

• Betzwood picnic area.

• Varnum's picnic area.

Outdoor areas are accessible during normal park hours, from 7 AM to 30 minutes past sunset every day.

What's Closed:

• Varnum's Quarters.

 

Road closures go into effect at 4:30 AM on Sunday, April 21, 2024. All roads will reopen at 11 AM.

NPS Graphic / G. Purifoy

Road Closures During Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-Mile Run

The Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-Mile Run will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Road closures in the park will be in effect from 4:30 AM to 11 AM to ensure the safety of race participants.

Due to these road closures, multiple locations and facilities in the park, including the Visitor Center at Valley Forge, will be unavailable for regular park visitation during the event. Route 23 and Route 252 will remain open to vehicle traffic. Park visitors are encouraged to visit the Washington's Headquarters area in the morning (grounds open at 7 AM, the building opens at 9 AM).

The following roads are temporarily closed to all vehicle traffic during the race on Sunday, April 21:

• Outer Line Drives closed between the main park entrance on Route 23 and Route 252/Baptist Road. The closure includes both North Outer Line Drive and South Outer Line Drive.

• Inner Line Drives closed at all Route 23 intersections. The closure includes West Inner Line Drive, South Inner Line Drive, East Inner Line Drive, and North Inner Line Drive.

• Gulph Road closed between Route 23 and the intersection with Thomas Road.

• County Line Road closed at Route 23.

 

Valley Forge National Historical Park is located in Chester and Montgomery counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. Click the image to check the latest COVID-19 Community Levels on the CDC website.

Wearing a Mask at Valley Forge

As directed by the DOI Workforce Safety Plan, National Park Service masking guidance is based on the CDC's COVID-19 County Check tool for hospital admission levels, which helps communities decide what prevention steps to take. Park managers use this tool on a regular basis to make decisions about masking requirements in their parks. There are no masking requirements in place at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

According to the CDC, risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 has been greatly reduced by increased vaccination levels, increased population immunity, and the wide availability of treatments. Additional prevention strategies, including vaccination and testing, are effective ways to keep you and your loved ones safe.

 

Tips for Visiting the Park Safely

• Recreate Responsibly. Follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace principles, and avoid crowding and high-risk outdoor activities.

• Park in Designated Locations. Vehicles parked illegally will be ticketed, and vehicles that block emergency vehicle access (such as on roads or in front of gates) will be towed.

• Plan to Pack Out Your Trash. In-park trash and recycling receptacles are limited.