Fall Color Effigy Mounds

Effigy Mounds Park Fall Color Scene
There were some nice splashes of fall color in mid-October at Effigy Mounds National Park

Effigy Mounds National Park – Fall Color Hikes

Located on the Iowa side of the Upper Mississippi Great River Road, Effigy Mounds is a popular fall color attraction due to its mature mixed hardwood forest, its well-maintained and annotated nature/history trails, and its elevated scenic views of the Mississippi River and surrounding bluffs. An added attraction is its founding feature: the hundreds of Indian Burial Mounds and its educational displays on the ancient Mounds culture.

We picked the second weekend in October for our visit since during the same weekend was the McGregor Arts & Crafts Festival (see our earlier post). There was more color in the foliage than the same time last year and it was a beautiful fall day. However if your aim is to catch the ultimate “peak” of color, it looks like the second half of October is the best time to catch the most vibrant colors along this part of the Mississippi River. There were also festivals going on this weekend in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and Winona, Minnesota so River Road travelers could catch several fall festivals plus some fall color on this particular weekend. If you wait til the following weekend, however, you can enjoy some fall color and Prairie Du Chien’s Oktoberfest.

Effigy Mounds at Effigy Mounds National Monument Park
Nature Trail Effigy Mounds National Park
Effigy Mounds Trail

Fall Attractions along the Wisconsin-Minnesota Great River Road

More Posts on Effigy Mounds

See hiking trail maps, more pictures, and other information on visiting Effigy Mounds at our earlier post on Effigy Mounds National Park.

And you can see still more fall pictures from a visit a few years ago here: Fall visit to Effigy Mounds on our Quilting Pathways website

Ross