Effigy Mounds National Monument — Attraction in Prairie du Chien

I hate to give a place a 1 star, but it is well deserved. If you are like us and visiting all the NPS sites you have to go here. It would probably qualify as a county park walking trail, not as a National Park Site. First of all the mounds are non-consequential. End of story. 3 foot high lumps of dirt. Every place Natives did something is not important. There are numerous mounds of much better preservation around the country that are great state parks. Hopewell NM actually is up to the standards. The Rangers here are LAZY!!! They took the pandemic, removed the displays so you can't even look through the windows in the center, and relegated themselves to mowing the law once a week, relaxing, and collecting a government check. I hope they read this, you slugs. Some of them are chatting it up at the garage, but that's it. As is way to common at NPS sites they are EXTREMELY offensive to those with disabilities. We are writing a book on visiting NPS sites on a budget. We have 242 under our belt. They put the closed visitors center at the bottom of the plateau with a little walkway to 3 piles of shapeless dirt for the disabled. The parking is a considerable distance from the center, for NO practical reason. To get to the ridge where the effigy mounds are you have to hike 395' up a steep gully about a mile. They have signs telling you the mounds are sacred and not to walk on them. No one knows who their descendants are, what their faith practices were, and the Park Service drives over them in tractors every week. Anyway the mounds are inaccessible to all but the hardiest. The Park Service sees these places as theirs, not the citizens. It would have been a cake walk to bulldoze a road up the gully to the top and put a parking lot up there close to the path. They rigorously follow the MINIMUM requirements of the ADA, when most visitors are elderly. These people are pathetic, arrogant, and without natural...

Love coming here. I usually make the time to visit this National Monument as often as possible. It's only a few hours away from where I live. I'm usually up there about 4 or 5 times a year. The sheer topography is what's appealing. The views from Fire Point or Hanging rock are awesome. I've been up there every season. Winter can be tricky driving. North unit offers a visitors center and plenty of parking. They also have modern facilities, a theater, gift shop and interactive display. The rangers that work there are always available to answer questions about trail conditions, mosquito issues or ticks, ecosystem and weather conditions. These people are trained professionals and take their work seriously. They all deserve our thanks and gratitude. They make the monument safe and interesting for all of us for generations now and to come. South unit offers many effigies on river bluffs too. Parking is across the highway so be careful crossing. Once you've ascended the gravel road hill, turn right and you will find a few Mounds. Also a great view of Founder's pond and the Yellow river. Continuing up the hill you will come to a fork. Left takes you to series of effigies that you can't find anywhere else. Right takes you down an old army road to another group of effigies. Both worth checking out same day if possible. Third unit is at Sny McGill area. Unfortunately this unit is built right next to the Mississippi River and is prone to flooding so ask the rangers about current conditions there. Access to Sny McGill is also available by boat. There are many conical Mounds at Sny. Please visit any or all of these places with respect. Remember to just look and photograph. These places are historic. They've been here for thousands of years. We are only passing through history. But these places ARE history. In my...

I have visited this National Monument multiple times the past couple of years, and the experience was amazing. It's a great scenic drive from the Twin Cities area, allowing stops at other points of interest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Effigy Mounds has it all - great hiking trails, the awe-inspiring overlooks of the Mississippi valley (better in the northern area of the park, in my opinion), the ability to reflect on the mounds and their builders in solitude, and the great Visitor's Center with historic information and displays make this a must stop in the Upper Midwest.

I had previously visited the northern trails, mounds, and overlooks. With this latest visit, I focused on hiking in the south unit to both Nezekaw overlook and the Marching Bears, since I had not yet been to this part of the park. The trail was quite steep when starting out from the day use parking area; however it was in great condition as of early September 2025. Started my hike at 9:30 on a Saturday morning and only saw 2 other groups on the 5 or so miles I completed. The southern area viewpoint wasn't as great as the northern ones are, so I would suggest if you are looking for some exercise and a grand view, start there (or if you just want the view, Pike's Peak State Park a few miles south is worth a mention and visit, regardless). I also thought the mounds in the north unit were easier to identify from ground level. Note that neither of these trails are accessible - there is only one accessible trail around the Visitor's Center, which I have not personally hiked yet...so probably another visit in the future!

All in all, can't go wrong with a visit to this park, and definitely one of those underated hidden gems of the National...