Kenny's Hiking Info Site

CAMP STOVE
Gas stoves are a big scam! A gas stove can cost up to $150 or more, then you have to buy gas to use it. There is fuel in the forest everywhere, it's called fire wood. And you need a wood stove to burn it. Take a look at the Trailstove, it costs $19.95 and you never have to buy any fuel for it.

TARP
Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.

WATER FILTER
To filter water to make it drinkable, available in most outdoors stores. It's more of a convenience to have a water filter than a necessity since you can boil water with your Trailstove and pot.

POT
This is a very important item, you will need a pot to melt and heat water. Drinking hot water will warm up your whole body. I would recommend just getting a cheap mess kit and using the pot from it. You could just grab a pot from your kitchen but these tend to be relatively heavy which is OK in your kitchen but not in your backpack.

This type of trap is very effective but it will kill the animal that gets caught in the trap, so if you decide not to eat it you killed an animal for nothing. Only make a deadfall trap in an emergency.

You need the following things: A heavy log, a round rock, a sturdy stick about 1 to 2 feet long, a thinner stiff stick about a foot long.

Lift one end of the log up and support it with the sturdy stick. The sturdy stick in turn should be standing on top of the round rock. One end of the smaller stiff stick is placed between the rock and the sturdy stick, the other end should be suspended in the air right under the log, the stiff stick should be roughly horizontal.

To make the trap more stable and more difficult to trigger you can cut the part of the stiff bait stick flat where it rests between the rock and the sturdy stick. You can also cut the bottom of the sturdy stick flat, it all depends on what size animal you are trying to kill.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Prehistoric mounds are common from the plains of the Midwest to the Atlantic seaboard, but only in this general area was there a culture that regularly constructed mounds in the shape of mammals, birds, or reptiles. The monument contains 2,526 acres with 195 mounds of which 31 are effigies. The others are conical, linear and compound. Eastern Woodland Indians built mounds from about 500 BC until the early European contact period. Natural features in the monument include forests, tallgrass prairies, wetlands and rivers. The visitor center, located at the park entrance, contains museum exhibits highlighting archaeological and natural specimens, an auditorium and book sales outlet. The park has eleven miles of hiking trails. No roads exist in the park. Rangers give guided hikes and prehistoric tool demonstrations, June 11 through Labor Day weekend. Educational programs are presented on- and off-site by appointment. There are no lodging or camping facilities in the park. Nearest camping is at Pikes Peak State Park and Yellow River State Forest in Iowa and Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin. Various primitive campgrounds exist in the area as well.

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
Effigy Mounds is open daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours Memorial Day to Labor Day and weekends in October. The monument is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Getting There
PLANE - Regional airports in La Crosse (70 miles) and Madison (120 miles), WI; and Dubuque (70 miles) and Cedar Rapids (120 miles), IA

CAR - Three miles north of Marquette, IA or seventeen miles south of Waukon, IA on state highway 76. Also six miles across Mississippi River from Prairie du Chien, WI

Weather & Climate
Our summers are generally hot and humid, spring and autumn are mild with moderate temperatures, winters can be cold and snowy.

Accessibility
Visitor Center, museum, book sales outlet and auditorium are accessible to wheelchairs. Consult rangers at information desk for access to the hiking trails.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
CAR MAX
$4.00 for 7 Days
Maximum to be paid for entrance of private, non-commercial vehicle.

PER PERSON
$2.00 for 7 Days
Individual entrance fee - 16 and under are free.

Local Passport
EFFIGY MOUNDS PARK PASS
$10.00 for Annual
Provides access to the monument on an annual basis.

FACILITIES

Museums
MUSEUM
Open All Year 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - extended hours in summer
Phone - 563-873-3491

CAMP STOVE Gas stoves are a big scam! A gas stove can cost up to $150 or more, then you have to buy gas to use it. There is fuel in the forest everywhere, it's called fire wood. And you need a wood stove to burn it. Take a look at the Trailstove, it costs $19.95 and you never have to buy any fuel for it.
TARP Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.
WATER FILTER To filter water to make it drinkable, available in most outdoors stores. It's more of a convenience to have a water filter than a necessity since you can boil water with your Trailstove and pot.
POT This is a very important item, you will need a pot to melt and heat water. Drinking hot water will warm up your whole body. I would recommend just getting a cheap mess kit and using the pot from it. You could just grab a pot from your kitchen but these tend to be relatively heavy which is OK in your kitchen but not in your backpack.