Manassas National Battlefield Park · Virginia

Unfinished Railroad Loop Trail

1.2 mi loop · Unfinished Railroad Loop Trail: 1.2 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 50 ft of climbing · 230 ft–284 ft · native surface · trail class Developed · hiking

277 ft 277 ft · 1.2 mi high 283 ft

Unfinished Railroad Loop Trail 1.2 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

60-75 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Unfinished Railroad Parking Lot, Stop #6

Historic Photo of Unfinished Railroad
Black and white image showing a portion of the Unfinished Railroad Photo: NPS

Distance: 1.2 mile roundtrip hike

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Hiking Time: 1 hour 1. Begin at the Unfinished Railroad Parking Lot (Tour Stop #6).

2. Take the fork to the left to begin the trail. Interpretive markers along the trail discuss the fighting along the Unfinished Railroad during August 29, 1862.

3. The trail loops back to the parking lot along the Federal side of the railroad. Begin your walk at the Unfinished Railroad parking lot (Tour Stop #6) off Featherbed Lane. The trail heads northeast along the unfinished railroad, where Stonewall Jackson placed his Confederate troops. Interpretive markers discuss the bayonet charge by Cuvier Grover's Union brigade on August 29, 1862, which briefly punctured the Confederate defensive line. Before looping back to the parking lot, hikers have the option of continuing down the railroad bed, via the Sudley Connector Trail, to Sudley Church. The Sudley Church area served as the Confederate army's left flank during the Battle of Second Manassas.

Accessibility This trail does not meet ADA accessibility guidelines.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 39 trails in Manassas National Battlefield ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.