A Day In The Park: Effigy Mounds National Monument

Some units of the National Park System protect landscapes and wildlife. Other units protect the creations, architectural wonders, and history of Native peoples who lived here long before the first white European ever traversed through what is now the United States. Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa is just such a park unit.

Located in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, this national monument protects 200 grassy mounds mainly shaped like birds and bears but also shaped like cones and rectangles. Constructed by the people known as the Effigy Moundbuilders, who lived during the Late Woodland Period (1400-750 B.P.), archaeologists and scientists are not totally certain what these mounds represent. Perhaps they were built for ceremonial purposes. Perhaps they marked prime hunting and gathering sites. Regardless of what they represent, they are all considered sacred by the 20 American Indian tribes culturally associated with this national monument.

So, what can you do in a day at Effigy Mounds?

First thing you should do upon arrival is stop off at the visitor center. There, you can orient yourself by picking up an informational park brochure and a map of the hiking trails. The visitor center also hosts temporary exhibits and is home to a formal museum exhibit introducing visitors to the monument's natural and cultural history and displaying artifacts found within the area.

If you are ready for a little outdoor activity, you can take a hike in the park ranging from short walks along accessible trails to extended walks along steep hiking trails. There are three different units to this national monument, and each unit hosts one or more trails:

North Unit: five trails ranging from one to seven miles (1.61-11.27 kilometers) roundtrip.

South Unit: four trails ranging from one to four miles (1.61-6.4 kilometers) roundtrip.

Sny Magill Unit: a single hiking trail in the floodplain on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the headquarters/visitor center. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources maintains a boat ramp, parking area, and access road into the unit. With over 100 mounds, the Sny Magill unit contains 50 percent of all mounds in the monument. It also has the highest concentration of mounds known in the region. A trail leads from the access road to mounds at the northern end of the unit.

You can also join a ranger talk or guided tour offered during the summer months.

During your walks, it’s possible you might spot local wildlife such as deer, wild turkeys, chipmunks, frogs, muskrat, fox, and maybe even the elusive five-lined skink.

If you are a birder, a bird photographer, or simply enjoy spotting the birds around you, Effigy Mounds National Monument is in the center of the Mississippi Flyway and borders the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge, so you’ll definitely see one or more of the 291 species of birds nesting or migrating through the monument.

For you wildflower lovers out there, the monument is in a transition zone of several vegetation communities. During the springtime, you’ll see some of the best wildflower displays in the area, including Dutchman's breeches, wild geranium, bellwort, bloodroot, wild violets, trillium, rue anemone, and wild ginger. Visit in the summer to view asters, apple tree blooms, Virginia waterleaf, daisy fleabane, cardinal flower, jewelweed, woodland sunflower, bergamot, and goldenrod. The grassy prairie around Effigy Mounds also hosts colors produced by yellow stargrass, wild bergamot, black-eyed Susan, blue vervain, butterfly milkweed, clover, coneflower, Culver's root, flowering spurge, and lead plant.

Visit Effigy Mounds in the fall and you’ll be surrounded by foliage displaying vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. It’s a great park for “leaf peepers” to stroll the short trails and capture photos of the brilliant autumn colors.

If you have some extra time after a visit to Effigy Mounds, there are several stateside attractions in both Iowa and Wisconsin, including Yellow River State Forest and Driftless Area Wetlands Centre in Iowa, and Ft. Crawford Medical Museum and National Historic Landmark in Wisconsin.

Traveler’s Choice For: Native American culture, wildflowers, fall colors, Effigy Moundbuilders history