Culps Hill

Culps Hill rises to 192 m in Pennsylvania. Buzzard Peak stands 593 m to the west, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is US HQ 12-1-2nd Brigade Lockwood, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away. Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway passes 0.6 miles off.
The story
Culp's Hill, which is about 3⁄4 mi (1,200 m) south of the center of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, played a prominent role in the Battle of Gettysburg. It consists of two rounded peaks, separated by a narrow saddle. Its heavily wooded higher peak is 630 ft (190 m) above sea level. The lower peak is about 100 feet (30 m) shorter than its companion. The eastern slope descends to Rock Creek, about 160 feet (50 m) lower in elevation, and the western slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll (formerly McKnight's Hill) with a summit 100 ft (30 m) lower than the main Culp's Hill summit. The hill was owned in 1863 by farmer Henry Culp and was publicized as "Culp's Hill" by October 31, 1865. During the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863, Culp's Hill was a critical part of the Union Army defensive line, the principal feature of the right flank, or "barbed" portion of what is described as the "fish-hook" line. Holding the hill was by itself unimportant because its heavily wooded sides made it unsuitable for artillery placement, but its loss would have been catastrophic to the Union army. It dominated Cemetery Hill and the Baltimore Pike, the latter being critical for keeping the Union army supplied and for blocking any Confederate advance on Baltimore or Washington, D.C.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4210323, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 192 m
How to reach it
- 0.6 mi off the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, National
- 9.2 mi off the Old Main Streets
- 17.7 mi off the Mason and Dixon Byway
- 22.8 mi off the Falls Road
Overlooks nearby
- CS Sharpshooter's position · 2 mi
- Chimney Rock · 17 mi
- Middletown Overlook · 29 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- US HQ 12-1-2nd Brigade Lockwood: 0.0 mi
- 6th WI Dawes: 0.0 mi
- 7th IN Grover: 0.0 mi
- 5th US Artillery Battery K Kinzie: 0.0 mi
- US General George Greene: 0.1 mi
- Cemetery Hill: 0.5 mi
- Benner Hill: 0.6 mi
- Wolf's Hill: 0.7 mi
- Powers Hill: 1.0 mi
- Sheep Heaven: 1.1 mi
- Gettysburg Recreational Park: 1.0 mi
- Gettysburg Municipal Authority: 1.5 mi
- West Fields: 1.6 mi
- Straban Township Park: 2.8 mi
- Norm Weaver Memorial Park: 4.8 mi
- Battlefield Military Museum: 0.3 mi
- Jennie Wade House Gifts: 0.6 mi
- Ford Motor Company Fund Education Center: 0.6 mi
- Gettysburg Museum: 0.6 mi
- Gettysburg Diorama & History Center: 0.7 mi
- Menchey’s Spring: 0.3 mi
- Spangler's Spring: 0.4 mi
- Katelysine Spring: 2.3 mi
- Koontz Spring: 9.0 mi
- Poplar Spring: 9.8 mi
- Women's Memorial: 0.4 mi
- Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg: 0.6 mi
- Return visit: 0.9 mi
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue: 9.7 mi
- Fr. John Dubois: 11.8 mi
- Caledonia State Park: 15.0 mi
- Tumbling Run Game Preserve: 15.2 mi
- Spiegle Cooperative Wildlife Management Area: 16.4 mi
- Union Mills Reservoir Area: 16.5 mi
- Hahn Cooperative Wildlife Management Area: 16.6 mi
- Picnic Area: 0.6 mi
- Picnic Area: 2.8 mi
- Founder's Plaza: 11.8 mi
- Chestnut Picnic Area: 18.1 mi
- Owens Creek Picnic Area: 18.2 mi
- John Eisenhower Bridge: 2.9 mi
- Sachs Covered Bridge: 3.3 mi
- Pumpkin Cannon: 18.0 mi
- Catoctin Furnace: 20.0 mi
- Fort Roller: 23.2 mi
- Filbert/Diller Corner Garden: 11.9 mi
- 9-11 Memorial Garden: 17.1 mi
- Cameron-Masland Mansion Garden: 19.1 mi
- Peace Garden: 22.8 mi
- Shippensburg University Campus Farm: 22.8 mi
- Sachs Covered Bridge: 3.3 mi
- Mason-Dixon Welcome Center: 9.1 mi
- Tartown: 12.3 mi
- Clermont Crag: 15.2 mi
- Beach Front: 16.1 mi
- Cunningham Falls: 18.6 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 14.2 miles of Culps Hill. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzard Peak | W 270° | 593 m | 13.3 mi |
| The Knob | W 281° | 573 m | 12.1 mi |
| Virginia Rock | WSW 256° | 545 m | 13.3 mi |
| Mount Newman | WNW 292° | 544 m | 12.3 mi |
| Chimney Rocks | W 269° | 535 m | 13.2 mi |
| Wildcat Rocks | WSW 253° | 533 m | 13.8 mi |
| College Mountain | SW 222° | 520 m | 12.1 mi |
| Round Top | SW 225° | 520 m | 13.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:13 | 18:45 | 19:21 |
| June solstice | 05:42 | 20:01 | 20:41 |
| September equinox | 06:57 | 18:32 | 19:08 |
| December solstice | 07:27 | 16:05 | 16:48 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 33 | 41 | 52 | 61 | 70 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 55 | 44 | 35 |
| Precip in | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Eisenhower NHS, 1 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1172821 — Culps Hill, Adams County, Pennsylvania.
OpenStreetMap element node/7244933702
Day trips start here
- Gettysburg · 1 mi
- Hanover · 13 mi
- Thurmont · 17 mi
- Catoctin Mountain Park · 18 mi
- Westminster · 21 mi
- Chambersburg · 25 mi
Take the scenic way to Culps Hill.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.




