effigy mounds national monument

I spent a day here in the fall hiking with my 10 year old and we had a great time. The trails could use a bit of maintenence but the mounds were well marked and the views of the river are spectacular. The Park Rangers and Visitor Center had a lot of great information on the mounds and what we know of the mound builders. There are some nice short paths to take if you have young kids and longer trail options if you are up for something more challenging. My daughter completed the Junior Ranger program here and earned her badge and then we purchased the upgraded patch. I'd recommend this for anyone in the area. You could spend anywhere from an hour to an entire day expoloring the park.

Effigy Mounds is everything that a day hiker could want: easy to moderate hikes, updated and accurate maps, fantastic views of the Mississippi River and the Prairie Du-Chein rock formations across the river in Wisconsin, and solitude. Though this locale is growing in popularity, if you hike the lesser-known hikes you are guaranteed a solo hike, and even the well-known ones require such physical exertion that you are most likely to loose anyone who didn't come here to do some serious hiking. The trail to Hanging Rock, a high exposed rock atop a bluff, is a moderate seven miles round trip, and the views from the top are some of the best in Iowa. The hiking resembles that of the rockies (on a much, much smaller scale, of course), and your chance of seeing Bald Eagles is quite high from October-May. If you are looking for a satisfying day-trip hike in Eastern Iowa, this is the place to beat.

Sacred to Native Americans, this National Monument provides a window into our past and an excellent opportunity to enjoy an outdoor hike with beautiful views of the Mississippi. The two-mile Fire Point Hike takes about an hour. It is well-marked with wide trails - but is not flat. Uphill climb is steady and easy.In addition to learning about the mounds themselves, walkers are rewarded with nice views of the river from above. Rangers are available at the Visitor's Center to answer questions. They also lead hikes in the summer.Plenty of parking. Easily accessible from State Highway 76 in Iowa and just across the river from Prairie du Chen, Wisconsin.

Effigy hike is around 6 miles round trip. The first half mile is switchbacks and is a good work out. There are rolling hills and lookout points to keep it interesting. If you are looking for good hiking in this area alternate between Effigy and Pikes Pike. There is no charge for this park but you can leave a donation inside at the desk. It has a nice indoor information area and gift shop.

The mounds built by native peoples along the Mississippi River in past centuries are extremely interesting and something of a mystery. Sadly, having visited many other national monuments in different parts of the country, I got the distinct impression that Effigy Mounds is way down on the list when it comes to receiving money for maintenance and updates. The rails along the steep path we hiked were broken in several places and looked decidedly unsafe. The film we watched in the interpretive center was dated, overgeneralized and---frankly---trite. The park itself has wonderful mounds and great views of the river. I really hope this important site receives more attention and funding in the future.

We were here on a cool October day. The first three tenths of a mile is a steep climb, but the views from the bluffs are outstanding! The trees were in full fall color glory. The mounds themselves are quite interesting. Take a look at the display in the visitor's center first and pick up a map so you know what you are seeing. The trails are well-kept and easy to follow. Enjoy the hike, revel in the scenery, and think about how the mounds were formed as you ponder the work that went into them. We are fortunate the mounds have been preserved (although they had been vandalized before the preservation).

Great trails, beautiful scenery, interesting history. It's very easy to get to, the visitor's center is well-kept, guides were very informative. Clean restrooms!

We hiked into Marching Bear. Well worth the two mile hike, the mounds are breathtaking and sacred. Want to return and hike the southern end.

Having viewed a number of mounds we found this to be a gem. The visitor center told the story as much as is known and the methods used to gain this information. We took the walking tour to view the various mound formations and were rewarded with a great experience. There also was a bluff overlook of the Mississippi. The walk is an easy climb for anyone in reasonable condition.

Fantastic trail tour with Ranger Jeremy. The best view of the Mississippi River I have seen. The interperative center inside the visitor center was nicely done and there were alot of relevant items available for sales. Very clean site and the trail was easy to walk on

We visited Effigy Mounds in northeast Iowa with hiking boots and a picnic lunch. The rangers were very friendly and suggested the trail to hanging rock about seven miles round trip. We watched the movie and went through the museum than went on the hike. It was fairly hot and humid and the Kant mile to Hanging Rock was lined with poison ivy -beware hikers! The mounds were interesting but fairly hard to decipher (in the movie they seemed to have been outlined by chalk or pebbles but bot now--but then they were also photographed from above and we were looking at them from the ground. On a more negative note, maintenance of trail and railings seems not to have been done in years. I know the National Park Service has been beggared these last years but perhaps Iowa hikers or friends etc could do trail work or a youth conservation corps could help. The trail had become. Gully wash the last bit. Also the signage was decayed and could be updated. This place needs a Friend of the Park organization or be made a fee area for upkeep and maintenance. There are precious few parklands in the Midwest and besides the cultural values, there are outstanding views if the Mississippi bluffs and the great river itself.

Very peaceful hike with solitude- if you looking for excitment its not the place, but great for a work out and nature run

Visitors' center well kept up, staff VERY friendly and helpful, exhibits informative, documentary film pretty good, brochure/trail map useful, north trail well-maintained though steep in places but I saw visitors of all ages and apparent physical condition at the top, scenic views of the Mississippi from the Eagle Rock and Fire Point viewpoints very nice. Now we come to the mounds themselves... I appreciate the great effort it took to build them and the questions surrounding their significance to the builders, but the ones I saw just don't look like much. The maps and aerial photos in the V.C. will show them to you better than an on-the-spot viewing.

We had a wonderful time at Effigy Mounds. We hiked up a couple miles to various mounds. There are many different levels of hiking available. There are places to sit along the way and scenic overlooks. We watched the 15 minute movie in the visitor's center beforehand, which I think was helpful for the kids to learn more about what we were about to see. When we got back from our hike, the wonderful ranger, Michael Douglass, asked if we wanted to try out the atl-atl, which is a Native American spear throwing tool. The kids all took turns learning how to do it and they practiced right there in the yard of the visitor center. It was such a fun, family adventure. I would highly recommend it for families. Our kids are 15, 14, 12 and 9.

We enjoy hiking in the woods and history, so thought we'd visit Effigy Mounds. The mounds are burial sites of ancient Indians. There are many. We had to walk up a steep incline to get to the beautiful views of the Mississippi River, but they are exceptional. Great exercise and beautiful nature are what we really enjoyed about this park. Stop in the Visitor Center for information. The people are really helpful.