Hiking Sitlington’s Hill at McDowell
May 8 marks the anniversary of the Battle of McDowell, the opening action of Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign. If you’ve never been to McDowell, just take U.S. Rt. 250 west out of Staunton, Virginia, and keep going until the mountains swallow you and you lose cell service.
In fact, the battle took place on the side of a mountain, which makes it a particularly challenging battlefield to explore because it’s so rugged. The hike to the top of Sitlington’s Hill is so physically demanding that it’s important to keep a few key facts in mind:
Fortunately, I walked the trail this year so you don’t have to!
What follows is a “photo tour” of the trail. The trail, a “strenuous 2.5 miles up and back,” contains 15 stops. The trail map on the sign in the parking lot “conveniently” leaves off elevation contours so that it doesn’t scare visitors away:
I’ll start in the parking lot along Route 250 and share photos of the signs for each stop along the trail. I’ll show each sign “in situ,” and then show you the text of the sign itself. Several of the signs have maps that explain the action. I’ll toss in a couple extra scenic shots along the way.
I’ll let the photo tour speak for itself, but if you want more on the battle, I’ll include a link at the end for a video I produced for the ECW YouTube page.
Here we go….
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Photos hardly do justice to how steep these hillsides are.
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Love this! Shenandoah Valley Battlefields has been knocking it out of the park with their signage. I hope to visit this battlefield some day.
Amazing amount of signage present! Wish I could have walked it with you!
Thanks, Chris. Your photo tour of the Battle of McDowell was fantastic. The Cleveland Civil War Round Table is doing Jackson’s Valley Campaign this fall and a bunch of us are planning a side trip to McDowell. I’ll pack my hiking boots.
Awesome! I was privileged to be involved in the writing and installation of these signs when I worked for SVBF. Absolutely one of my favorite battlefields. There are more signs in town and on Rt. 250. I believe SVBF is planning more signs in the near future. I no longer work there so I’m not in the know on that. Make sure you support SVBF and Emerging Civil War
My 82d Ohio ancestor was at McDowell, his first battle. It is one of my favorite places, not developed or commercial yet accessible.
Thanks Cris for the hike up memory lane. I made the trek on a SVBF sponsored Sesquicentennial tour of the battlefield in 2012. Based upon your current adventure, the SVBF is to be commended for the improvements of the trail and the interpretive signage. We had maps and a good guide. The climb was difficult, hard on the legs and hard on the heart. Our group took it slow, with rest stops to hear the battle narrative from our guide. But the view from the summit was spectacular and made the trip worthwhile. We also visited the Union position on the west side of the river and toured the local museum. McDowell is a true treasure.
This battlefield is a “must see” if you are following Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign. It is a mile uphill and a mile downhill. If you take your time and rest every 100 yards, you can make it to the top for some great views.
For those who have kept their old “Blue and Gray” magazines, there is an issue devoted to McDowell. Driving to McDowell, make sure you follow the B&G directions to drive on an original road the Confederates used to arrive at the battle. It is narrow, and the first time I drove it, I ran into 3 dump trucks going in the opposite direction!
Driving into McDowell, there is a small market where you can get a sandwich and a Coke and sit outside as you discuss the accomplishment of climbing Sitlington’s Hill!
Chris: This is a sensational piece. Well done.
What a fun post, Chris! And as ECW’s resident Coloradan, I do appreciate that y’all didn’t try to call this a “mountain.”
The “A Road from the Past” sign has its measurements in metric! Wow!