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Trip Planner:   USA  /  Iowa  /  Harpers Ferry  /  Effigy Mounds National Monument

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harpers Ferry

4.6
#6 of 66 in Historic Sites in Iowa
Must see · Monument · Historic Site
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Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by pre-Columbian

Mound Builder cultures, mostly in the first millennium CE, during the later part of the Woodland period of pre-Columbian North America.

Numerous effigy mounds are shaped like animals, including bears and birds.

The monument is located primarily in Allamakee County, Iowa, with a small part in Clayton County, Iowa, in the midwestern United States. The park's visitor center is located in Harpers Ferry, Iowa, just north of Marquette.

In 2017, the Effigy Mounds were featured in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.
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Effigy Mounds National Monument reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
250 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • This is awesome, we wanted todo more of the trails, but a storm blew up, will definitely visit again. 
    This is awesome, we wanted todo more of the trails, but a storm blew up, will definitely visit again.  more »
  • We stopped here while traveling from Minneapolis/St.Paul to Dubuque and did some afternoon hiking. We followed the trail from the visitor center to Eagle Rock, Fire Point, the Little Bear Mound... 
    We stopped here while traveling from Minneapolis/St.Paul to Dubuque and did some afternoon hiking. We followed the trail from the visitor center to Eagle Rock, Fire Point, the Little Bear Mound...  more »
Google
  • I haven't been here since I was a kid. Neat to come back and explore it decades later as an adult, and nice that it's dog-friendly! It's a National Monument, so you can expect well-manicured trails for the most part, with the exception of Hanging Rock trail; be prepared to legit hike! Marching Bear trail was my favorite of all. Me and my dog were the only ones on it the entire time!! How?! It does start off with a decent incline that gets the blood pumping, but levels off to a lovely journey that opens up to mound after mound. Pretty awesome! The mounds aren't as sizable height-wise on Marching Bear as the others, but it's well worth it.
  • Wonderful visitor center, and very friendly park ranger. The hike to the top is a little bit strenuous but fun. There are benches on the trail to rest and catch your breath. This is a sacred ground, so please be respectful and stay on the trails! The trail is filled with wood chips, so that should help during wet conditions. Beautiful lookout points and animal shaped mounds once you reach the top, and of-course you have earned yourself an easy hike down :-) Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

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