An Eastern Iowa Monument Was Named the State’s #1 ‘Must-Visit’ Attraction

Looking for a cool place to explore this year? Love Exploring has named the top must-see attraction in all 50 states, and the pick for Iowa is a good one: Effigy Mounds National Monument!

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located on the Mississippi River in Northeast Iowa, mainly in Allamakee County, but also part of Clayton County. According to Wikipedia, "the monument contains 2,526 acres with 206 mounds, of which 31 are effigies." The biggest one is called Great Bear Mound, and it's just over 137-feet long.

If you're wondering who constructed all these mounds, the answer is... we don't really know. The article from Love Exploring reads:

"It's not known exactly who built these mounds or why, though it's thought that they could have been used for ceremonial purposes. They probably date back to the Late Woodland Period (around AD 600-1200) and, from above, they form various animal shapes."

There are 20 different American Indian tribes that are said to be culturally associated with Effigy Mounds National Monument. Additional mounds can be found in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Ohio.

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in Iowa's "Driftless Area," which features prairies, wetlands, hills, forests, bluffs, a wide variety of plants and wildlife, and incredible views of the Mississippi River. It doesn't matter what time of year you visit, it's beautiful all the time!

If you decide to check out Effigy Mounds National Monument, the visitor center is located in Harpers Ferry. The hours for the visitors center vary by season, but the park itself is open every day from sunrise to sunset. For the latest updates, you can follow the official Facebook page HERE.

Effigy Mounds National Monument has been in the news lately thanks to a former park ranger named Brian Gibbs. The Des Moines Register reports that Brain was one of "1,000 National Park Service employees [who] were unexpectedly fired on Valentine's Day." His emotional Facebook post about losing his dream job went viral, with more that 230,000 shares as of this morning (February 19th). According to the Register, with the firing of Brian and one other employee on Friday, only eight employees remain at the national monument. The article says that "the cuts will increase the strain on a short-staffed park." You can read the full post below:

Looking for other fun attractions in Iowa? No problem! Here are the top 20 "traveler favorites" on Trip Advisor: