Pea Ridge National Military Park
A remarkably intact 4,300-acre battlefield explains the 1862 campaign through terrain, Elkhorn Tavern, exhibits, and a driving loop.
Artwork inspired by Charles Banks Wilson
On March 7–8, 1862, more than 23,000 soldiers fought at Pea Ridge in a battle that secured Missouri for the Union and altered the war west of the Mississippi. The park preserves a large, readable landscape where roads, ridges, open fields, and Elkhorn Tavern make command decisions visible; interpretation also addresses Confederate-allied Cherokee regiments and the consequences of fighting across border communities.
See the visitor-center film and map before starting the driving tour. Stops are spread across more than 4,000 acres, and the landscape becomes meaningful only when troop movements are tied to roads and elevation. Walk at least one short segment near Elkhorn Tavern or an overlook, carry water in warm weather, and check for road or trail closures before assuming every tour stop is reachable.
- Battle
- March 7–8, 1862
- Landscape
- More than 4,300 acres
- Core route
- Battlefield driving tour
Quick guide
- Begin
- Film + campaign map
- Walk
- Elkhorn Tavern battlefield
Make the visit count
- Orient before driving
- Use the armies approached from unexpected directions; without the campaign map, later stops can feel disconnected.
- Read the ridges
- Compare pause where elevation and road junctions explain artillery placement, visibility, and delayed movement.
- Include Native forces
- Trace cherokee participation and the broader war in Indian Territory belong to the battle’s interpretation, not a footnote.
- Leave the car briefly
- Confirm a short walk reveals scale, wind, vegetation.
Good to know
The battlefield only begins to make geographic sense once you drive its ten stops: Elkhorn Tavern, wooded fighting ground, open artillery fields, and the long Union withdrawal are separated by real distance. Pick up the park map before leaving the visitor center, carry water, and check the loop-road status because storm damage or preservation work can change access.
Notice these
- Elkhorn Tavern
- Intact Ozark battlefield
- Trans-Mississippi campaign story