Follow Trenches on the 19th Corps Trails

Woodland trails follow a line of trenches built by the US 19th Corps in the fall of 1864. Heavy fighting happened there in the early morning of October 19, as a Confederate surprise attack overwhelmed Federal defenders during the Battle of Cedar Creek. The 19th Corps Trails connect the 128th New York Monument with Belle Grove Plantation. Remnants of trenches and earthworks are still visible along the trails. The trails are on lands preserved by Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation (CCBF) and Belle Grove, Inc. Enter the trails at either end: At the 128th New York Monument, along US Route 11, 2.4 miles south of the NPS Visitor Center in Middletown, Va. Parking and the trail entrance are just past the monument inside the pull-off. At Belle Grove Plantation, across Belle Grove Road from the Beverly B. Shoemaker Welcome Center. There is a parking area by the trail entrance. The trenches are the long, shallow depressions seen along the trails. Help preserve them by staying on the marked path. View our calendar for ranger-led walks of the 19th Corps Trenches.