First Day at Chancellorsville

Start Point for Walk: Spotsylvania County Museum, 6159 Plank Rd., Fredericksburg, VA 22407. Start box available daily, 9am to 5pm, except Thanksgiving, Dec. 24/25, and Jan 1.

Phone: 540-693-3200

Directions: From Route 95, take Exit 130 West. Travel 5 miles. The Visitor Center/Museum will be on the right, just past Chancellor Elementary School (look for the barn).

Description of Walk: 5k, 8k, or 10k.
Rating: 2B
Restrooms: Yes
Strollers: Hard
Pets: Yes
Wheelchairs: No
There is no shade along the trail. Please carry water.

Walk the First Day of Chancellorsville Battlefield through 215 acres of fields where the battle took place. You will pass 12 historic markers along the trail, as well as several monuments.

Fighting at Chancellorsville opened on the morning of May 1, 1863, along the Orange Turnpike (now Rt. 3) and Orange Plank Road. The 12 historical plaques interspersed along the trail do a great job explaining how the opening stages of the battle unfolded. The 8K and 10K walks travel along sidewalks in a subdivision for a short distance. The small museum houses Spotsylvania County’s history, beginning with early Native Americans and continuing on through the Civil War.