Iowa

Parks

National Monument

Effigy Mounds

Harpers Ferry, IA

The mounds preserved here are considered sacred by many Americans, especially the Monument's 20 culturally associated American Indian tribes. A visit offers opportunities to contemplate the meanings of the mounds and the people who built them. The 200 plus American Indian mounds are located in one of the most picturesque sections of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
National Historic Site

Herbert Hoover

West Branch, IA

Born in a two-room cottage, Herbert Hoover could have been any small town boy. Orphaned at age nine, he left West Branch, never to live here again. The landscape and buildings of the early years remain, however, to tell how family, faith, education, and hard work opened a world of opportunity— even the presidency of the United States— to a child of simple beginnings.
National Historic Trail

Lewis & Clark

Eleven States: ID,IL,IA,KS,MO,MT,NE,ND,OR,SD,WA

Between May 1804 and September 1806, 31 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery. In their search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean, they opened a window into the west for the young United States.
National Historic Trail

Mormon Pioneer

Various States, IL,IA,NE,UT,WY

Explore the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail across five states to see the route 70,000 Mormons traveled from 1846 to 1869 to escape religious persecution. The Pioneer Company of 1846-1847 established the first route from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles.