Field Trip: Manassas Battlefield Park

Join us for an evening and sunset at the Manassas Battlefield Park.  The park offers lots of photographic opportunities that are scattered around the 5000 acre park.  We recommend you beginning your tour at one of the several parking lots accessible from Route 29 which runs through the park.  Start at either end of the park. In the East, you’ll find the Stone Bridge, and in the West, there’s Battery Heights and Stonewall Memory Gardens including water features.

After composing shots from your first late afternoon destination, hop back in your chariot and move on to the next parking lot which might put you near the Groveton Cemetery or the Stone House.  If it’s particularly dark or cars are whizzing by with their lights on, head up to the 14^th Brooklyn Monument where you can see the road from a hilltop and capture the lights streaks.

Early November in Virginia should be peak Fall foliage season so many of the trees surrounding the park will be well into or slightly past their peak.  When you’re done composing subjects around the battlefield, join us for our sunset meet and greet at the Henry Hill Visitor’s Center.  Normally, we meetup before we explore, but this time we’re switching it around so we can be together to capture what we hope will be a spectacular sunset.

Sunrise is at 6:46am EST
Sunset is 4:57pm EST

Points of Interest organized East to West:

• Stone Bridge – parking off Route 29 near (38.8249, -77.5013).
• Stone House – parking East of corner with Rt.29 and VA.234 near (38.819, -77.525).
• Henry House, Henry Hill Visitor’s Center, and nearby fields – accessible off VA.234.
• Groveton Cemetery – minimal parking off Rt.29 near (38.8134, -77.5468).
• 14^th Brooklyn Monument – parking on New York Ave. across Rt. 29 from Groveton Cemetery.
• Stonewall Memory Gardens – accessible from Rt.29.
• Battery Heights – minimal parking off Rt. 29.
• Brawner Farm – parking off Pageland Lane, half mile north of Rt. 29.  

Equipment:

• Bring your landscape lenses, typically 24-70mm and 70-200mm.
• Remember to bring a polarizer and a graduated ND filter so you can capture all the details in the land and sky in one shot without compromising on details.  A ND filter may also come in handy around Stone Bridge or Memory Gardens as they both have water features.
• Tripods are permitted and encouraged.
• Weather will be temperate.  The afternoon will start comfortable, but may turn cooler as the sun sets.  Again, we’re looking for clear horizons, high clouds, and perfect photogenic weather.
• The Henry Hill Visitor’s Center is open until 5pm and it has a bathroom in the basement.

When:

Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Sunday, November 12, 2023 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm (rain date)

Where:

We’re meeting near the end of our field trip instead of the start.  Hopefully, you will have gotten several compositions before we meetup in the parking lot of the Henry Hill Visitor’s Center for our usual socializing.  We’ll discuss the weather and the possibilities for a sunset.  We’ll also explore the nearby fields and decide whether we want to dine out in nearby Manassas.

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Directions:

Parking is free. The battlefield is centered around the intersection of U.S. Route 29 and VA Route 234, Sudley Road.

We hope you can join us!

Rena Schild and Steven Glintz
Field Trip Coordinators 2023-2024