See the Picnic Areas web page for an interactive location map.
Located between the General Anthony Wayne Statue and the National Memorial Arch stops on the Valley Forge Encampment Tour is the Wayne’s Woods Picnic Area (yes, it is very tempting to call it the Wayne’s World Picnic Area). A large parking lot makes stopping for a bite to eat convenient for those driving the tour road, and if you are hiking or biking on the Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, you’ll pass right through the picnic area as well. The facility is open daily, year-round.
As you might have guessed, the picnic area is named after Pennsylvania General Anthony Wayne. This is a huge picnic area with a modern restroom, plenty of shade trees, and about two dozen tables (no grills). The place is so large that if there were a hundred tables there would still be plenty of space between them. Unfortunately, none of the tables are near the parking lot. The closest are probably 100 yards away, and some are at least 200 yards away. You could play a football game between some of them.
All tables at the Wayne’s Woods Picnic Area are taken on a first come, first served basis. Groups of more than 20 people must picnic either here or at the Varnum’s or Betzwood picnic areas. Furthermore, groups of more than 30 people need a permit. This is a permit for having a large group at the park, not specifically for picnicking. It does not include a picnic area reservation, so somebody from the group must still show up early enough to grab tables before other people get them. For more information, visit the National Park Service’s Permits and Reservations web page for Valley Forge National Historical Park.
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Last updated on May 29, 2022