Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park

Date Added: 12th Apr 2024
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: Visited the Central or Inner section only. There's a lot to see here in this section alone if you include all of the mounds, habitation areas, other non-mound sites. It took me 3 hrs just to cover all of the Central area not including the museum. Most features with some exceptions are accessible via paved walkways so disabled access is good. Quite a bit of walking involved to see it all, and limited parking sites. The museum lot is the best base to start from for the Central area.

I will cover the western and eastern areas in a subsequent visit.

Pocahontas Mound A

Date Added: 14th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: I had visited this site a few years ago as Mound A is in a convenient state roadside park area with bathroom facilities. It's also on the way to more northerly MS mound sites like Jaketown and Winterville.

Anyway I just stopped by to check out the latest improvements. The site's outdoor interpretive signage provided by Mississippi State Univ has always been great, but now they've added some replicas of ceramics found during excavations to an exhibit inside the visitor center. This plus more interpretation inside and improved signage outside. With many mound sites neglected and even derelict, it's good to see some serious effort put forth towards visitor education in an easily accessible and well-preserved site.

Note: There was a Mound B north of this site in a private neighborhood that I looked for some yrs ago with no access. I'll see if I can find more info.

Poison Spider petroglyphs

Date Added: 30th May 2025
Site Type: Rock Art Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: During my visit to the southwestern US, I wanted to visit a few rock art sites that took a little more physical effort to get to. A little more trail walking or elevation gain than normal. Theoretically these sites would be less prone to graffiti tagging or vandalism, which is an issue at some roadside locations. Poison Spider is one of these more remote sites and as a bonus it also features petrified dinosaur tracks. It is just one of a chain of rock art sites that line both sides of the Colorado River just south of Moab UT.

To get to Poison Spider, take Route 191 north from Moab for a few miles. When you cross the Colorado River, take a left onto Route 279 (also known as Potash Rd) and continue for 6 miles past a few roadside petroglyph sites. Exit right off the road at the sign for Poison Spider Dinosaur Tracks and continue up a steep hill for a few hundred yards, then take a sharp right into a large paved lot with an info kiosk and restrooms.

Take the Longbow Arch trailhead behind the kiosk down the hill for about 200 yds. At this point there is an unmarked primitive trail that veers off from Longbow to the right and ascends the rocky slope at a moderate angle. Head for the dinosaur tracks which look like white footprints on a large boulder below the cliff face ledge (binoculars are helpful to spot these).

After viewing the tracks, head slightly to the right and up slope on a faint trail until you get to a flat ledge and the cliff face. The petroglyphs extend all along the cliff face to the right and left. When finished, you can either head back the way you came or scramble down from the left edge of the petroglyphs until you link back up with the Longbow Arch Trail that leads to the parking lot.

The whole journey is about 1/2 mile RT.

Note: I would not recommend this climb to anyone with severe knee, joint, or balance problems, as there is some degree of scrambling around rocks to get up and down. You can see a fair amount of the petroglyphs from the parking lot with reasonably powerful optics.

Raleigh Mound

Date Added: 8th Feb 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Would like to visit

Refuge Mounds

Date Added: 3rd Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4

Log Text: A much-studied Mississippian period mound site, but not on the official Mississippi Mound Trail. A house was built on the one remaining rectangular platform mound so the site is private. Unfortunately parking safely along busy Rte 454 is a challenge as there are no good pulloffs and a narrow shoulder. I found a somewhat wider section, parked there, and walked 100 yds to a point opposite the site for photos. The mound is 100-200 yds south of the modern road and close to the Mississippi River.

Reily Cemetery Mound

Date Added: 31st Oct 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Yes. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Visited late Oct 2023. Site is located as described, still in good condition.

Rentschler Park Hilltop Enclosure

Date Added: 2nd Mar 2023
Site Type: Hillfort Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2021. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 2

Log Text: The site is in a park (Rentschler Forest MetroPark) and open to the public. There are two parking areas: one on the south side and one on the north side near the river. I opted to walk in from the south side. Parking is available in a lot at the end of a side street off of Rentschler Estates Drive. Signage refers to the site as "Line Hill Mound." The gateway is slightly over 0.5 mile away on a flat, easy trail (Mound Trail) which can get muddy so boots are advised in rainy weather. See picture post for a map of the trail system.

I did not check the northern entrance (Reigart Rd) and trail system, but it may be an easier way to explore those parts of the enclosure near the Great Miami River.

Richard's Bridge

Date Added: 19th Mar 2024
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 1st Feb 2024

Log Text: Saw from the road. The village is now in a cultivated field. The original mound was destroyed when the paved road was built.

River View Cemetery Mounds

Date Added: 31st Oct 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Yes. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Visited late Oct 2023. Main mound easily accessible in a traffic circle about 200 yds past the cemetery entrance. I was unable to positively locate the other mound (Lochry Massacre Mound) although I did locate the monument commemorating that historical event.

Roadside Ruin

Date Added: 6th Jun 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a rather remote Pueblo 3 site but the road is paved all the way to the trailhead. To get there, drive south from Moab about 40 miles on Route 191 or north 14 miles from Monticello. Then turn west on Route 211 for another 35 miles to the Canyonlands National Park Needles District visitor center. The trailhead is less than a mile past the visitor center on the left. The trail is an easy flat loop to the granary. About 200-300 yds one way.

One plus of driving Route 211 to the site is access to the many petroglyph sites along Indian Creek plus Newspaper Rock. Not to mention beautiful scenery.

Rolling Fork Mounds

Date Added: 3rd Nov 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2

Log Text: In late Oct 2023, I attempted to find these mounds by walking west from a car pulloff on Rte 61 and also north from a field road next to two brick silos. I did not attempt to walk in east from Parkway Rd, which as Dr. Little's photos suggest, may provide easier access to Mound B. The entire area was extremely overgrown and nearly impassible, so I abandoned the search.

It may be easier in winter, once the vegetation dies back.

Rondossec Dolmens

Date Added: 9th Dec 2024
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This site is in a public park near the center of Plouharnel, shoehorned into a small residential neighborhood. These are three nearly contiguous passage graves. Two are in fair to good shape. The remaining one is partially buried, particularly at the chamber end.

Parking is on-street only (on either Rue Hoche or Rue Jean Pierre Calloch) and it can get a bit congested in the high tourist season. I had no problems in late Sept. There is a very short path from the street to the easternmost passage grave.

Runesto Dolmen

Date Added: 11th Dec 2024
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a small passage grave mostly still within its mound, although all that's visible now is the chamber. Modern steps have been cut to provide access down into the chamber.

The site is located at the end of a cul de sac (Rue de Runesto), just past a residential subdivision near the edge of a field abutting the D768. For the mobility impaired, you can park quite close, within 100 ft of the chamber and with a clear view of it from the road without having to walk to it.

Saint-Michel tumulus

Date Added: 15th Oct 2024
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is one of a collection of very large manmade Carnacean mounds or tumuli and served as a tomb for elite individuals, accompanied by opulent and often non-local grave goods. It is on a high prominence overlooking the town of Carnac and surrounding areas. Popping the location coordinates into any online mapping tool should lead you directly to the site, which is at the end of a cul-de-sac adjacent to a hotel. There is a public parking area across from the hotel and next to the tumulus.

Sainte-Barbe alignement

Date Added: 10th Dec 2024
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: According to Burl, this was once an alignment of 8 rows of standing stones stretching over 400 m, with a possible cromlech nearby. Today, only two obvious 100-200 m rows remain, plus an "end cap" of 4 or 5 truly massive menhirs. A number of additional stones are either missing or buried underground or in hedgerows.

Very limited parking is available in a dirt pullout maybe 50 meters north of the site along Rue de Kerentrech. I parked there and walked back to a trail head leading south maybe another 50 meters to the large menhirs and alignments.

Salmon Ruins

Date Added: 10th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This an Ancestral Pueblo Chacoan outlier great house site located about 10 miles W of Aztec Ruins National Monument. It is similar in construction to the latter and was more than likely built by either immigrants from Chaco Canyon or by local cultures emulating Chaco-style great house complexes. It was built slightly earlier than Aztec Ruins.

The site consists of the ruins, a museum, and a heritage park with replicas of Native American dwellings such as hogans, wikiups, and pithouses. I only had time to visit the ruins in depth, although I checked the museum briefly.

The ruins are a steep walk about 200-300 yds down a paved walkway or driveway from the museum. I believe there is also some limited parking available at the heritage park at the bottom of the hill, which would allow closer access. A ruins guide is available to borrow from the museum, and as far as I know there are no print versions available for sale. It is very helpful and I would recommend referring to it during the visit. The entire site is owned and operated by San Juan County.

Salomon Mounds

Date Added: 11th Mar 2024
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 1st Feb 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3

Log Text: Site is mostly as described, in a private farm field. There is a parking pulloff and interpretive signage about 100-200 yds from Mound A, which is about as close as you can legally approach (No Trespassing signs make that clear!) . Mound C is just SW of Mound A. So close that past researchers have occasionally referred to it as a double-mound site.

Sand Island petroglyph Panel

Date Added: 18th May 2025
Site Type: Rock Art Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is one of the better-known and most frequently visited rock art sites in southeastern Utah. The site is a very short walk (< 100 ft) up to the cliff face from a dirt parking pulloff with interpretive signage. The panels are in a relatively compact area, maybe 100 yds in total. And although they are protected by a fence and can only be viewed from a distance, you can still get fairly close for photography as long as the sun cooperates (it mostly did not for me). An overcast day or a low sun angle are preferred as full direct sunlight tends to wash out the images,

To get there, take Route 191 west out of Bluff UT for approximately 4 miles. Turn left onto a gravel road with signage that indicates the Sand Island Recreational Area and boat ramp. At the bottom of the hill, take your first right onto another gravel road. This road leads straight to a couple of parking pulloffs on the right in about 0.25 miles, plus some petroglyph signage. A short trail leads up to the cliff base and the panels. The panels are surrounded by a fence to discourage defacement and further damage.

Sayler Story Mound

Date Added: 21st Feb 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Couldn't find on 1st Oct 2021

Log Text: Unclear whether the visible part of the mound was destroyed or the location taken from Wikipedia is wrong. But there was nothing visible.

Schicker Mound

Date Added: 9th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This site consists of a single platform mound. A house with cellar was built on it in 1926 and I believe what you see now is the original dwelling. It is currently occupied so the site is private and can only be viewed from 100 yds away. The location is in Tallulah, LA in a residential area on the west side of Mississippi St. I found it easier to park on Desoto St, a nearby side street, and walk across Mississippi St 100 ft to the site.