Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778.

At the same time, Valley Forge was far enough from Philadelphia to make a British surprise attack unlikely, but close enough that Continental forces could scout enemy positions and prevent them from foraging the countryside.

The shared hardship of the officers and soldiers of the Continental Army and the professional military training provided by Baron Friedrich von Steuben are considered a turning point in the Revolutionary War, which secured the independence of the Thirteen Colonies and the establishment of the United States.

The Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge[4] was incorporated in 1878 with the purpose of saving, acquiring, and preserving General Washington's Headquarters and surrounding acreage.

[8][9] The area covered by these listings goes outside what was then Valley Forge State Park boundaries to include four historic houses where the Marquis de Lafayette and other officers were quartered.

The National Memorial Arch dominates the southern portion of the park and is dedicated "to the officers and private soldiers of the Continental Army December 19, 1777 – June 19, 1778".

It is inscribed with George Washington's tribute to the perseverance and endurance of his army: Naked and Starving as they are We cannot enough admire the Incomparable Patience and Fidelity of the Soldiery.

Crossing Gulph Road at the arch, the drive proceeds through the Pennsylvania Columns and past the hilltop statue of Anthony Wayne on a horse.

[24] The National Parks Conservation Association and local citizens sued Lower Providence Township over the zoning change that enabled this proposal.

An overpopulation of white-tailed deer has resulted in "changes in the species composition, abundance, and distribution of native plant communities and associated wildlife" in the park.