Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. But our work doesn’t stop there.
We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun.
Taking care of the national parks and helping Americans take care of their communities is a job we love, and we need—and welcome—your help and support.
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
How do I obtain a park entrance pass?
Only 118 of your 417 park sites charge entrance fees. You can obtain park entrance passes by visiting a park site that charges an entrance fee. Entrance fee sites have passes available; we recommend calling a park prior to your visit. (See the park search to locate a specific park.) There are a number of entrance passes available, including park-specific passes as well as passes that offer entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites in addition to the national parks (Annual, Military, Senior, 4th Grade, Access, and Volunteer passes). Learn more about the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.
About this location:
Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
All park grounds are closed at sunset. Yorktown Visitor Center: Opened daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Park is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Phone 757-856-1240 (24 hour recording) for status of closures.
Standard Hours
Yorktown Battlefield – Winning America’s Independence
Discover what it took for the United States to be independent as you explore the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Here at Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, General George Washington, with allied American and French forces, besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s British army. On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war and ensuring independence.
For an internet map search or GPS, use the following: Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center, 1000 Colonial Parkway, Yorktown, Virginia 23690. Eastbound from the Richmond area via I-64, exit 242B for Yorktown, to the Colonial Parkway. Follow the parkway to its end. West bound Interstate 64 from the Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Hampton area for Yorktown should take Route 105 East (Fort Eustis Boulevard east), exit 250B to Route 17. Turn left onto Route 17. Follow the signs to Yorktown Battlefield.
Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
The Yorktown Visitor Center is the orientation point for your visit to Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield. At the visitor center information desk, you can obtain a park brochure with maps and information, an orientation to the park, and an opportunity to schedule your visit around the various interpretive programs going on throughout the day.
Yorktown, VA climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80’s and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 30’s. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 89.00 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 28.10 degrees Fahrenheit. For closures in due to inclement weather at Colonial National Historical Park please phone this 24 hour phone number (757) 856-1240.