The Friends of Manassas National Battlefield Park

On a hot July day in 1861 two great armies from north and south came together for the first time on the fields overlooking a stream called Bull Run. The naive unprepared troops would soon have their hopes of a short war dashed, as they came face to face with the horrors and carnage of war. By the day's end nearly 900 men lay dead and dying on what the day before had been the peaceful farms of Northern Virginia.

Thirteen months later the same armies, now much larger and battle hardened, would again clash over the same ground. This time, the destruction would be far greater, over 23,000 killed, missing or wounded. The outcome of the second battle would lead to the southern army's first full scale invasion across the Potomac River into Maryland.

A volunteer-based organization, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. The PATC was founded in 1927 by the men and women who planned and built the Appalachian Trail. With the help of over 6000 volunteers, the club now manages more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails in the Mid-Atlantic region, along with cabins, shelters, and hundreds of acres of conserved land.

PATC volunteers contribute tens of thousands of hours of volunteer service every year. Volunteers maintain trails, cabins, and shelters, teach Leave No Trace principles to hikers and backpackers, publish maps and guidebooks, and help manage a busy headquarters operation. In addition to volunteer opportunities, the club offers a busy calendar of recreational events, including hikes, excursions, cross-country ski weekends, and mountaineering trips.

Visit the PATC website.