Map of the Mound City Group at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (click to enlarge)

Length: 1-mile loop
Time:  45 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy

The Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park circles the Mound City Group burial mounds from outside of the earthen wall around the site, giving hikers a different perspective on Mound City than they get when inside the wall and walking among the mounds. The trail also passes the ditches created by the Hopewell people when they dug dirt to build the mounds, and there is a detour down to the Scioto River.

The trail begins behind the Mound City Group Visitor Center. If on the path to the mounds with your back to the building, there are trailheads on both your left (two, in fact) and right. However, the trailheads on the left are much more noticeable, and this is where I began my hike. One is located at the picnic tables next to the forest, which is where I started from, and the other is just a little farther down the tree line. However, if you aren’t looking for it, you might not see it due to low hanging tree branches. Either starts you off hiking in the clockwise direction, and this report is written from that perspective.

Trailhead for the Mound City Nature Trail at the Visitor Center picnic area, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The Mound City Nature Trail starts off on a smooth, gravel path that covers relatively flat terrain. It comes to a T-intersection within eyesight of the picnic area—take a left. Right is where you would be coming from if you started at the other trailhead.

Typical terrain on the gravel portion of the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Just a short ways down the trail is a display of stones taken from a lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal. While the stones came from a lock about a mile way, the actual canal ran right through this area, following closely along today’s Ohio 104, the main road just west of the Visitor Center. While the canal did not damage the Mound City Group, there were plenty of other Hopewell mounds that were destroyed by it. The canal operated from 1832 until 1913, though traffic was drastically reduced by the mid-1800s due to the proliferation of the railroad.

Ohio and Erie Canal lock exhibit along the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Part of a lock from the Ohio and Erie Canal on display along the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The Mound City Nature Trail is essentially a square, and along the western (where the trail starts) and northern sides, it runs through the forest and comes nowhere near the archeological site. However, once it gets to the eastern side along the river (opposite from the Visitor Center), much of the trail runs right along the earthen wall. The gravel path temporarily ends here, so just walk through the grass and follow the wall.

End of the gravel path on the northeastern side of the Mound City Nature Trail, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

View of Mound City from the northeastern side of the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Halfway around (half mile) is a gap in the wall—the eastern entrance gate into the mound complex. Today’s wall is a reconstruction based on excavations of the site. It is not as tall as the original wall, but the location should be accurate. (Everything at Mound City was destroyed by progress, so everything you see is a reconstruction.) If you are tired of the Mound City Nature Trail, feel free to hop off and cut across the mound site back towards the Visitor Center. You can walk anywhere you like except on the mounds and on the wall.

Historical eastern entrance of Mound City, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The gravel trail begins again near the eastern entrance, and as soon as you walk back into the woods there is a fork. The trail to the left is the detour down to the Scioto River. It is not an out-and-back hike, so once you see the river, keep walking and you’ll reconnect with the main trail a little farther down. The only catch is that the river is at the bottom of a steep hill, so if you have a problem with stairs and hills, skip this side trip and just continue on the main trail. You won’t be missing much.

Detour on the Mound City Nature Trail to the Scioto River (left), Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Stairs down to the Scioto River from the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

While the trail runs right along the river, there is never really a good view due to trees and other vegetation.

Trail along the Scioto River at Mound City, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

View of the Scioto River at Mound City, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The Mound City Nature Trail eventually curves away from the river and heads back towards the mounds. The gravel path ends once again, and from here on back to the Visitor Center the trail is grass. At the end of the gravel trail is one of the borrow pits, the place where the Hopewell people dug dirt for building the mounds. Continue straight, walking through or around the ditch.

Borrow pit at the Mound City Group unit of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Once on the south side of the Mound City Group, the trail runs between the forest and the earthen wall, and from here on out you’ll have a good view of the mound site.

The southside of the Mound City Nature Trail runs right along the earthen wall, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

View of the Mound City Group from the south side of the Mound City Nature Trail at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The Mound City Nature Trail passes a couple more borrow pits once it turns north on the western side where the Visitor Center is. There is no defined trail at this point, so just walk back along the wall. This is why I mentioned earlier that there is no obvious trailhead on the southern side of the Visitor Center as there is on the northern side.

End of the Mound City Nature Trail back at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park’s Visitor Center

When the weather is pleasant, a hike along the Mound City Nature Trail is enjoyable. Other than the trip down to the river, the terrain is mainly flat, and the trail is easy to hike. At only a mile long, it won’t take up too much of your time. I did the hike in 45 minutes, but I am a slow walker and take a lot of photos. Most people should be able to knock it out in a half hour or less.

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