Ford’s, Pine Rock, and Pegram Trails Loop Hike (click to enlarge)

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See the Five Forks Battlefield Trails web page to download a PDF trail map

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Length:  2.75-mile loop
Time:  1.5 hours
Difficulty:  Easy

The Ford’s Trail, Pine Rock Trail, and Pegram Trail are all located west of Courthouse Road and north of White Oak Road in the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield. A loop hike that covers all of these trails starts from the parking lot at Stop 3 on the Five Forks Battlefield Driving Tour, the Five Forks Intersection. Horseback riders are allowed on the trails as well, but if you have a horse trailer, you must use the parking lot east of the intersection, a quarter mile down White Oak Road. Look for the sign that reads EAST TRAIL HEAD.

Most of the trails in the Five Forks Battlefield unit are named after officers, both Union and Confederate, who fought at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. The Corse, Pegram, Mumford, and Steuart trails are named for Confederate officers and the Crawford, Griffin, Devin, and Winthrop trails for Union officers. The exceptions are the Pine Rock Trail, which I assume is named for some natural landmark, and the Ford’s Trail, which is named after the road that runs north from the Five Forks intersection. Today it is called Courthouse Road, but at the time of the Civil War it was Ford’s Road.

The Stop 3 parking lot is U shaped, entering and exiting at different spots on White Oak Road. To get to the Pegram Trail where the hike begins, walk to the road via the western driveway entrance, the one farthest from the intersection. The trailhead is on the other side of the road at the far end of a wooden fence.

View towards the trailhead for the Pegram Trail from the Five Forks Intersection parking lot on White Oak Road, Petersburg National Battlefield

Start of the Pegram Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

From there, follow the sign that directs you down a grass path running along the tree line. At the far end of the field, the Pegram Trail makes a left turn into the forest. Another sign is at the turn.

Grass path at the start of the Pegram Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Start of the wooded section of the Pegram Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

The Pegram Trail starts off as a wide trail and covers relatively flat terrain. Notice the yellow blazes (paint splotches) on the trees. Blazes typically mark the route—follow them like Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. Trails within Petersburg National Battlefield are well marked with directional signage at most intersections, so the blazes aren’t really needed for navigation that often. More important, they indicate who is allowed on a particular trail. A yellow blaze means the trail is open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. A red-blazed trail is for hikers and bikers only. Every trail within the Five Forks Battlefield unit of the park is a yellow-blazed trail except the Winthrop Trail.

Typical terrain at the start of the Pegram Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

A tenth of a mile from the edge of the forest is the intersection of the Peagram and Ford’s trails. This is the start of the loop, and you can proceed in any direction. I took a right on the Ford’s Trail and hiked around in a counterclockwise manner. This trail review is written from that perspective.

Intersection of the Pegram and Ford’s trails at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Ford’s Trail is much narrower, more like a traditional hiking trail, but it is still a yellow-blazed trail that allows horseback riders. As with the Pegram Trail, the terrain is fairly flat. Most of the hills are so marginal that, if paved, the trail would be wheelchair accessible. There are a few hills that are moderate at worse, but they are very short in length.

Typical terrain along the Ford’s Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Ford’s Trail intersects with the Mumford Trail after a quarter mile. The Mumford Trail runs east to west, and it is the only trail within the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield that I did not hike. If you want to make a shorter loop, turn left here and hike over to the Pine Rock Trail, which essentially cuts a long oval hike in half. A right leads to Courthouse Road—you are close enough to see cars go by. To continue on the loop hike, keep straight on the Ford’s Trail.

Intersection of the Ford’s and Mumford trails at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

The terrain along the Ford’s Trail north of the Mumford Trail is much the same—relatively flat, fairly narrow, and easy to hike.

Typical terrain along the Ford’s Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Ford’s Trail intersects with the Pine Rock Trail .9 mile into the hike. If you were to continue straight on Ford’s Trail, you would come to Courthouse Road rather quickly. To continue around the loop, turn left on the Pine Rock Trail.

Intersection of the Ford’s and Pine Rock trails at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

The first half mile of the Pine Rock Trail is slightly hilly, though again, most hills are negligible and go unnoticed. After that, it’s fairly flat. It starts off wide enough to be an old dirt road but quickly narrows into a standard hiking trail.

Typical terrain along the Pine Rock Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Typical terrain along the Pine Rock Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

The intersection with the west side of the Mumford Trail comes at 1.75 miles into the hike. Take a right to stay on the Pine Rock Trail. Nothing much changes as far as the terrain goes.

Typical terrain along the Pine Rock Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

A quarter mile later is the intersection with the Pegram Trail. The Pine Rock Trail continues to the right and eventually connects to the southern end of the Corse Trail. I did a separate hike on this section, and you can read about it on the Corse Trail – Pine Rock Trail Loop Hike web page here on National Park Planner.

Intersection of the Pine Rock and Pegram trails at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

The Pegram Trail is pretty much the same as the Pine Rock Trail. It is a narrow, traditional hiking trail for most of the way, but it does widen just before coming to the Pegram-Ford’s Trail intersection where the loop portion of the hike began. In between is the intersection with the northern end of the Corse Trail, a tenth of a mile from the start. The Pegram-Ford’s Trail intersection is a third of a mile from there. Take a right at the intersection to get back to the parking lot, a quarter mile away.

Typical terrain along the Pegram Trail at the Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Wider section the Pegram Trail near the intersection with Ford’s Trail, Five Forks Battlefield unit of Petersburg National Battlefield

Ultimately, the Ford’s – Pine Rock – Pegram Trails Loop Hike is just a walk in the woods. Other than the fact that, yes, a Civil War battle did take place here, the trails pass nothing of historical significance.

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