Battle of the Bulge Memorial Trail

In my meanderings out at Land’s End, I came across a short stretch of trail that had inexplicable signs posted along the way. It wasn’t until I got to the top of the trail at the VA Hospital that I found out it’s known as the “Battle of the Bulge Memorial Trail”, installed in 1996.

The plaque at the top of the trail reads:

Dedicated to the gallant and victorious men and women who participated in the Battle of the Bulge, 16 December 1944 through 25 January 1945 in Belgium and Luxembourg. This major conflict has been called the greatest battle ever fought by the United States Army. Victory was achieved at the cost of 80,987 American dead or wounded. Presented by the Golden Gate Chapter Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, on this day 14 Aug, 1996.

The dozen or so signs along the way mark important places in the Battle of the Bulge such as Luxembourg, Stavelot, Malmedy, and St. Vith.

The trailhead is also one of the best picnic table spots I’ve ever seen. You sit overlooking Land’s End with a great view of the bay as it meets up with the Pacific.

To get to the trail, I walked down the hill from the Legion of Honor (where there is excess parking). On the left, you’ll see a trail and some stairs heading up to the VA Hospital (this is technically the end of the memorial trail). You can also access the trailhead from the VA Hospital grounds.

More on Battle of the Bulge from Wikipedia.org

And hats off to RichmondSFBlog reader lisab who correctly identified this spot when I tweeted it out as a “Where in the Richmond Am I?” item.

Sarah B.