Effigy Mounds National Monument is located 3 miles north of Marquette, Iowa off highway 76. Established by presidential proclamation in 1949, the Indian mound building 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 visitor center, located at the park entrance, contains museum exhibits, an auditorium and book sales outlet. There are no lodging or camping facilities in the park. Visitors may look at the mounds, spectacular views from bluffs along the Mississippi River and more than 100 acres of prairie by walking along 11 miles of hiking trails. No roads exist in the park. Three mounds are accessible to disabled visitors in the immediate vicinity of the visitor center.