Lock & Dam 13 Recreation Area, Fulton

Lock and Dam No. 13 is a lock and dam located on the Upper Mississippi River above Fulton, Illinois and Clinton, Iowa, United States. This facility offers visitors a view of the barges and boats locking through on the widest pool in the Upper Mississippi River.
The movable portion of the dam is 1066ft long and consists of ten tainter gates and three roller gates. The non-movable portion of the dam continues toward the Iowa shore with a 200ft storage yard, a 728ft non-submersible dike, a 1650ft submersible dike, and a 1315ft non-submersible dike with two 90ft transitional sections between the submersible and non-submersible sections. There is also an 8940ft non-submersible dike on the Illinois side east of the locks. The main lock is 110ft wide by 600ft long and like most other sites in the project, it has a smaller, unfinished, auxiliary lock. In 2004, the facility was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Lock and Dam No. 13 Historic District, #04000173 covering 2542acre, 1 building, 6 structures, and 4 objects.
This lock and dam represent the man-made exit from the Driftless Area, where shipping has to travel a few feet above bedrock over the 9ft shipping channel. It's about 522ft above sea level. Take a look at our Fulton trip planning website to schedule your visit to Lock & Dam 13 Recreation Area and learn about what else to see and do during your holiday.