"In 1776 the Isaac Potts house was just a humble Pennsylvania home," Adam Gresek, the park's director of Visitor and Community Engagement, said in a National Park Service release this spring. "But, in December 1777, General Washington selected this structure for his headquarters and cemented its place in history."
That house has been closed since May 4, 2026. It stays closed through this winter, and it will reopen at some point in 2027, in time for the 250th anniversary of Washington's arrival. The park's largest celebrations are still more than a year away, and much of what has changed for regular visitors since spring is preparation for them. The park's buildings are under repair this winter, and its grounds are open.
The House Is Closed. The Ground Around It Is Not.
The restoration repairs damage Hurricane Ida did in September 2021. Floodwater reached the basement, the foundation and several modern systems in the house. The work covers structural stabilization, new fire and intrusion alarms, and masonry repointing.
The fences are around the house only. According to the park's current conditions page, the rest of the Washington's Headquarters area is open during regular operating hours. That includes the Valley Forge Train Station and its exhibits, the Commander-in-Chief's Guard Huts and the George Washington statue. On-site displays explain the project. The park also offers a digital tour that walks through the rooms as they looked during the encampment. That makes it the only way to see the inside this season.
For visiting guests, the train station and guard huts are still a full stop. For the house itself, use the digital tour.
The Calendar Pauses Until the Encampment Anniversary
The fall campfire series at the Muhlenberg's Brigade storytelling firepit wrapped up on November 7 with "Tales Of The Mad Prussian." The park schedules no regular ranger programs from December through February. December 19 marks the day the Continental Army marched in, and the anniversary the park is building toward falls on that date in 2027.
The NPS commemorations page lays out an Encampment 250 period that runs from December 19, 2027 to June 19, 2028. It includes three special events plus extra programming online and in the park.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Through 2027 | Isaac Potts House closed for restoration, reopening in 2027 |
| December 19, 2027 | The Great Marching In, 250 years after Washington and the army arrived |
| May 6, 2028 | French Alliance Day, with the feu de joie musket salute |
| June 19, 2028 | The Great Marching Out, marking the army's departure |
The NPS page says the park will be a destination for national and international tourists, out-of-town visitors and local residents as those events arrive. This December and January are the last winter before that period starts.
Where to Park, Road by Road
This winter, the parking map matters more than the event calendar. Most of the changes since summer involve lots and roads.
- Maurice Stephens House lot, Route 23: The access road and lot across from the Washington Memorial Chapel are closed during construction on the house. To reach the Grand Parade trails, NPS directs visitors to park in the Chapel lot and use the pedestrian crossing on Route 23.
- County Line Road: Closed Monday through Friday to all cars, bikes and pedestrians.
- Varnum's Picnic Area lot: Closed for the season from December through March.
- Grand Parade Trail: Parts of it close briefly during herbicide treatments for the meadow restoration. The closures cover the stretch from the Steuben Statue parking lot to the middle of the meadow and back to Baptist Trace Road. Flagging and signs go up before each treatment.
Apart from those closures, the hours page sets the outer limits. The park grounds are open year-round from 7 a.m. until dark, which the park defines as 30 minutes after sunset. In December, that makes for a short window after work. The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily but closes on Thanksgiving, November 26, on December 25 and on January 1, 2027. The grounds stay open on all three holidays. That makes a holiday morning walk possible even with the building closed.
Snow and ice can close the train station and other sites, and NPS suggests calling 610-783-1099 before you go.
The Second House Getting a New Role
The Maurice Stephens House is why the Route 23 lot is closed, and it is the park's other building project. The Valley Forge Park Alliance, the park's nonprofit partner, calls the house its home in the park. The Alliance's campaign page describes the plan. The house will become the Alliance's park headquarters and a visitor hub with a café, accessible restrooms, space for public programs and events, and better parking and wayfinding. Aneu Kitchens will run the grab-and-go café. The house also overlooks the Grand Parade.
The project has a long history. In late September 2023, the National Park Foundation reported on the Alliance's groundbreaking, after foundation grants in 2020 and 2022. The house was already part of the anniversary year. The Alliance hosted a House of Declaration reading there on July 4, 2026. Meanwhile, the Chapel lot and the crosswalk are the way onto the Grand Parade.
The building at the heart of the encampment story is being stabilized and rewired. The building across from the Chapel is being set up for visitors. Neither one is open as a destination this winter.
The River Trail Is Being Moved Back From the River
The trail work is the least visible of the projects, and it may matter most to regular users. Park staff are widening the Fatlands Trail, which used to be called the River Trail, to a standard 8 feet. The work runs between the Betzwood picnic area and the Fatlands Trail parking lot on Pawlings Road. Crews are also moving sections of the trail away from places where the Schuylkill's banks are eating into it.
On the Chapel Trail between Sullivan's Bridge and Washington's Headquarters, staff are building new check steps and trimming vegetation. Both trails stay open to hikers, cyclists and horseback riders, and NPS asks everyone to use extra caution near the work. The paved Joseph Plumb Martin loop, the multi-use route that links the park's historic sites, is open year-round as well. All three trails are usable through the season.
Helping Out During the Off-Season
With ranger programs paused, volunteering is one of the few scheduled ways to spend time in the park this winter. The Alliance events calendar lists Weed Warriors sessions on these dates:
- Friday, November 13, 2026
- Saturday, November 21, 2026
- Friday, December 4, 2026
- Saturday, January 2, 2027
Registration is required by email at [email protected].
Just Past the Park Line
Two things in King of Prussia fill in some of the evenings the park calendar leaves open.
The King of Prussia District's fifth annual Igloo Garden on the Green runs through November 17 on the King of Prussia Town Center green. Seven heated igloos each seat up to six people. Reservations require a donation of $55 to $70 to the Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard. The related KOP Takes Out Hunger food drive collects at participating King of Prussia locations through December 1.
Cunningham Piano Company opened its new 15,000-square-foot location at 450 S. Henderson Road on October 1. The building combines piano sales, restoration and lessons with a 150-seat performance space. Pianist Eric Wortham played the grand-opening concert on November 6, which started the company's First Fridays concert series.
Farther out, the Valley Forge Gateway Trail is moving ahead. Segment 5 is now in preliminary engineering and easement survey design, with public engagement as part of the process. It would connect First Avenue Linear Park, Topgolf and the Village at Valley Forge and King of Prussia Town Center. According to the King of Prussia District, construction of that segment is estimated at $2.1 million, and a $450,000 grant has been awarded toward it.
When you live near the park, a closed lot or a weekday road closure changes your routine. If you'd like to talk through how the park and the communities around it figure into your plans for the coming year, Jennifer Daywalt is glad to share what she knows from working in this part of the valley every day. Let's Connect.
