Things To Do

View of Mississippi River Valley from the overlook at Fire Point.

NPS Photo

 

Begin at the Visitor Center

Access to the Monument's natural and cultural features begins at the visitor center. Stop at the front desk and pick up a brochure containing more information and a map of the hiking trails. Explore temporary exhibits and a formal museum exhibit that offers a brief introduction to the monument's natural and cultural history as well as displays artifacts.

Hiking Trails

Touring the monument involves short walks along accessible trails or extended walks along steep hiking trails. Due to the sacred nature of the site as an American Indian burial and ceremonial ground, there are no automobile tours available.

Brief descriptions of available trails follow; all hiking times provided are approximate and depend on weather, trail conditions, and the abilities of individual hikers.

North Unit hiking trails

The trailhead for all North Unit hiking trails is the monument’s visitor center. Except for the Yellow River boardwalk, all trail surfaces consist of dirt, gravel, wood chips, and leaves.

Yellow River Boardwalk

1 mile roundtrip, zero elevation gain, 30 minutes
The Yellow River Boardwalk takes hikers through a marsh and over the Yellow River. The boardwalk is the best place in the park for wildlife viewing, especially the many bird species that use this area as a sanctuary during their seasonal migrations.

Fire Point Loop

2 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 1 hour
Best hiked clockwise, you will find over 25 mounds, including two effigy mounds: Little Bear and Great Bear Mounds. Two scenic overlooks of the Mississippi River are also featured on this hike.

Twin Views

3 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 1 hour and 30 minutes
Twin Views extends past Fire Point by one half mile and offers two scenic overlooks of the Mississippi River Valley, one facing north and one south. This trail passes more mounds, including several linear mounds and an additional bear mound.

Third Scenic View

4 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 2 hours
The Third Scenic View extends one mile beyond the Fire Point Loop and features a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River Valley as well as additional conical, linear, and effigy mounds.

Hanging Rock

7 miles roundtrip, 600 feet elevation gain, 3 hours and 30 minutes
Hanging Rock extends two and a half miles beyond the Fire Point Loop. To visit Hanging Rock, hikers can expect to traverse two additional bluffs, ending at a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River Valley. This hike is the most challenging found in the park.

South Unit hiking trails

The trailhead for all South Unit hiking trails is on the west side of Iowa Highway 76 a half-mile south of monument’s visitor center. To get to the trailhead, one needs to drive from the visitor center to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Day-use area located on the east side of Highway 76 as well as east of railroad tracks that are in constant use. To access the trailhead from the day-use area, visitors must walk across both the railroad tracks and the highway. Caution is advised; look both ways before crossing either the railroad tracks or highway.

Once at the trailhead, which is a gated gravel roadway, walk around the gate. All hiking times provided are approximate and depend on weather, trail conditions, and the abilities of individual hikers. All trail surfaces consist of dirt, gravel, sand, grass, and leaves.

Founders Pond Overlook

1 mile roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 30 minutes
This hike features a view of the interior valley of the Yellow River.

Nezekaw Point Overlook

2 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 1 hour
This hike features a view of the Mississippi River. Hikers will pass one conical mound, one bear-shaped mound, and two linear mounds.

Marching Bear Group

4 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 2 hours
This hike features the largest effigy mound group in the monument; it includes ten bear-shaped and three bird-shaped effigy mounds.

Compound Mound Group

4 miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation gain, 2 hours
The compound mound found at the end of this trail is over 400 feet long, the longest earthwork found in the monument. Hikers will pass bear- and bird-shaped effigy mounds as well.

Sny Magill Unit hiking trail

This small 141-acre unit is in the floodplain on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 10 miles 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% 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 in the northern end of the unit.

This unit does occasionally close due to seasonal flooding.

Directions to Sny Magill

• From the Visitor Center turn left onto Highway 76
• At the stop sign in Marquette, turn left onto Business Highway 18 (passes under bridge, and continues to McGregor)
• Continue through McGregor until street ends and turn left onto County Road 340/X56
• Follow X56 past the Pikes Peak State Park entrance and continue approximately 4 miles
• Just before the bridge over Sny Magill Creek, turn left onto a gravel road, and continue to the parking area (note: the road goes under a railroad bridge, this unit is not reccommended for vehicles pulling taller trailers/campers)

Ranger Programs

Regularly scheduled ranger talks and guided tours are offered during the summer months. Check the calendar page for a listing of programs and times or call the visitor center desk at 563-873-3491, ext. 123.

 

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