Valley Forge tickets

Do you need tickets for Valley Forge?

No. There is no entrance fee, no pass and no timed entry. You drive or walk in during opening hours.

Valley Forge is one of the national parks with no fee at all, and the America the Beautiful pass is not sold there because there is nothing to pay. The Visitor Center, the 19-minute orientation film, the museum exhibit, the ranger programs and the parking lots are all free. Park programs need no reservation either.

A ticket only comes into it when you want someone to show you round. That can be a ranger-guided trolley, an audio tour on your phone, or a guide who collects you in Philadelphia.

What costs money at Valley Forge?

Only the extras. The trolley tour, the paid audio tour, bike rental and guided tours from Philadelphia carry a price. Everything the park runs itself is free.

Here is the 2026 picture in one place. Trolley prices come from the National Park Service; the tour prices are the from-prices on GetYourGuide.

How much is the Valley Forge trolley tour?

$24 for adults, $22 for students, seniors aged 62 and over and military, and $14 for children 11 and under, for a 90-minute guided ride.

The trolley is run by The Encampment Store, the park's partner, and leaves from the front of the Visitor Center. It follows the Encampment Tour route with long stops at the huts of Muhlenberg's Brigade and at the Washington's Headquarters area (closed for restoration until 2027). Tickets are reserved by phone on 610-624-5010 and collected at the store at least 30 minutes before departure. They are not sold on GetYourGuide.

The trolley runs from March to December on a set schedule, weekends only for much of the year. The trolley tour guide has every 2026 date and time.

Which Valley Forge tour should you book?

If you are staying in Philadelphia without a car, the half-day guided tour is the easy choice. For a family or a small group who want their own pace, the private tour.

• Valley Forge half-day tour (from $149): a guide and a small van from 48 N 12th Street in Philadelphia, round trip, about 4 hours 30 minutes in all. It covers Washington's Headquarters, the rebuilt soldier huts and other sites, and includes a donation to the park. The house and its surrounding area are closed for restoration until 2027, so the guide plans around that stop. It runs rain or shine.
• Private driving tour (from $745 per group): your own guide collects you anywhere in Philadelphia and drives you round the park for about 4 hours, parking included. The listing prices it for groups of up to six, and the stops follow your interests.
• Museum of the American Revolution ticket (from $27): not Valley Forge itself, but the Philadelphia museum that shows Washington's war tent. It pairs well with either tour.

Guests on the half-day tour rate it 5.0 from 64 reviews and keep naming their guides. Rita wrote that Tom "brought it all to life, fielded every question, and told us so many interesting stories" (Sep 2026).

Van, guide and the park's highlights in one morning or afternoon from Philadelphia, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

★ 5.0 · 4 hours 30 minutes · from $149

Explore the Valley Forge half-day tour → Tour details

Is the Visitor Center at Valley Forge free?

Yes. The Visitor Center, its exhibit, the film and the ranger desk are free, open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM.

The building reopened after a $12 million rehabilitation. Inside you find the ranger desk, The Encampment Store, a regional welcome desk and "The Valley Forge Encampment" exhibit, which tells the six months of the camp through sound, wood, metal and mud. The orientation film runs every half hour from 9:30 AM, with the last show at 4:30 PM.

Start here whichever way you visit. It has restrooms, snacks and the free brochure map for the Encampment Tour.

Do you need to book a Valley Forge tour in advance?

For the guided tours from Philadelphia, yes, because they run on set dates with limited seats. The trolley recommends a phone reservation; the park itself needs none.

The half-day tour travels in a small van, and the private tour takes one group at a time, so popular autumn and summer dates go first. Every tour on this site cancels free up to 24 hours before, which makes booking early a safe move: you hold the seat and keep your options open.

For the trolley, the National Park Service strongly recommends a reservation. Reserved tickets that nobody has claimed are released five minutes before departure, and on 4 July tours run first come, first served.

When is Valley Forge open?

Every day of the year. The grounds open at 7 AM and close 30 minutes after sunset.

The park grounds, roads and trails open every day of the year from 7 AM until 30 minutes after sunset. The Visitor Center at Valley Forge opens daily from 9 AM to 5 PM and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Washington's Headquarters, the Isaac Potts House, has been closed for restoration since 4 May 2026 and reopens in 2027, in time for the 250th anniversary of the march-in. The National Park Service says the house and its surrounding area are closed to visitors until the work is done; a digital tour of the house is on the park's website.

The free film and the exhibit follow the Visitor Center's hours, so an afternoon arrival in winter leaves little daylight. The winter post keeps the season's dates and closures in one place.

Frequently asked questions