The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Cahokia Mounds Historic Site

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Cakhokia Mounds State Historic Site is the St Louis region’s best kept secret. Sure there are plenty of people who know about it, many flock here to get in a quick outdoor workout. If you haven’t taken the time to visit Cahokia Mounds now is the time to do it. Cahokia Mounds is likely only a few years away from gaining National Park designation. There really isn’t a better time to visit than right now!

Welcome to Cahokia Mounds Sign at the Museum and Visitor's Center — The entrance to the Museum at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

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Quick Facts about Cahokia Mounds

At first glance, Cahokia Mounds might look like a large, steep hill with a hundred stairs leading to the top. But there’s so much more to it than that. Here are a few quick facts to get you excited to visit.

There are 104 known mounds at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
The largest mound, Monk’s Mound, stands at over 100 feet tall and has 160 stairs to get to the top. The Mound was completely man-made.
Cahokia was home to the Mississippian people and at its peak in the 1100s, it was home to over 20,000 people. This made it one of the most densely populated cities in the world at that time.
By 1300, Cahokia was abandoned for an unknown reason.

Monk's Mound in Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site — A View of Monk’s Mound from the Plaza

Getting to and Parking at Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia Mounds is located near Collinsville, Illinois. It is easy to get to by car and has one main designated parking lot and a few smaller lots near landmarks. It is free to park in any of these lots and there is no admission fee to enter the park.

Touring Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia Mounds is a perfect place for outdoorsy travelers to spend the day exploring. It is perfect for someone who loves museums. And it is a great place to compromise when your group is split right down the middle. There is a beautiful museum inside the visitor’s center, a guided walking tour of the main grounds, and over ten miles of hiking trails around the park. No matter what you’re in the mood for, you’ll find it here.

Hiking at Cahokia Mounds

When you visit Cahokia Mounds, you’ll notice a lot of people wearing athletic clothes. That’s because Monk’s Mound is a favorite outdoor workout amongst locals. With over 160 steps to get to the top, you’ll see plenty of people running as quickly as they can up the stairs and descending down just as fast.

Even though Monk’s Mound is the clear favorite, there are over 10 miles of hiking trails around Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, so don’t limit yourself to just one trail. You could easily spend an entire day exploring the grounds of this park.

My favorite spot is a look out spot on top of Monk’s Mound. On a clear day, you can see all of downtown St Louis from here. It’s a great spot for a photo.

A view of St Louis on a clear day from the top of Monk's Mound — On a clear day, you can see downtown St Louis from the top of Monk’s Mound

Historic Walk of Cahokia Mounds

If you want to get outside and explore, but also want to learn a little something about what you’re looking at, take a trip to the Visitor’s Center before you start. Inside the Gift Shop, you can reserve iPods with audio tours of the park grounds to give you a better idea of what exactly you’re looking at. There is also the option to take a guided tour from one of the tour guides. With 104 mounds on site, it is easy to overlook one. But the audio tour will help you identify mounds, and other key factors in the park like borrow pits, and the grid lines that the entire city was built off of.

Currently the audio self-guided tour is not available due to Covid-19 restrictions. Instead, they are offering a paper guide book that has a written narrative to help guide you through the park.

Educational guides along the trails at Cahokia Mounds — Many signs like this line the trails to give you a better explanation for what you see along the way.

Visiting the Museum at Cahokia Mounds

I’m ashamed to admit, the first time we visited Cahokia Mounds, we skipped the Museum entirely. It was a beautiful day, and we stopped by for a hike. It was a hugely missed opportunity. The museum inside Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is very well made. It helps you truly get a better understanding for both the people who lived here and the archeologists who have helped to interpret it.

I highly recommend you at least take a quick lap around the inside of the Museum. At the very center, there is a recreated village. Here they have life-sized statues of the Mississippian people who lived in Cahokia illustrating what life was like. If you want to understand the historic site better, this is the perfect place to start.

Admission to the Museum is completely free, but there is a suggested donation of $7 per person. Donations like these help preserve these historic sites and keep them accessible to everyone.

A recreated village inside the Visitor's Center and Museum at Cahokia Mounds — Children frozen in time in the recreated village at the museum.

No matter what kind of exploring you’re in the mood for, Cahokia Mounds will deliver. Whether you are hoping to get in a 10 mile jog, take a historic walking tour, or spend hours pouring over the museum exhibits, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site might be somewhat of a hidden gem for now, but it won’t be for long! Go explore all that it has to offer soon!

More to do Nearby

The area immediately surrounding Cahokia Mounds is an under-developed area and is not the best place to start exploring. However there are quite a few really cool places just a short drive away.

Nearby in Collinsville, Illinois, there is a brewery and distillery serving up some delicious food. Check out Old Herald Brewing & Distilling for a bite to eat after a day of hiking.

Edwardsville, Illinois is about a 20 minute drive away but is home to my favorite coffee shop in the St Louis Area. Check out Goshen Coffee for your favorite espresso drink or a pastry off their 100% vegan menu. While you’re in Edwardsville, you may also want to grab a beer at Recess Brewing.

If you’re willing to venture out a bit further, you might want to check out Old Bakery Beer in Alton, Illinois. It’s one of my favorite stops on this side of the Mississippi. Even though it is a little bit of a drive, it is well worth it.

Greetings From Kelly on the top of Monk's Mound. — A view from the top of Monk’s Mound at Cahokia Mound State Historic Site

Explore More of St Louis

If you’re looking for even more nearby places to explore, be sure to check out St Louis’ National Parks. We have two great national parks to check out: Gateway Arch National Park and Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site. I have an entire post dedicated to the National Parks of St Louis, as well as posts written for each individual site.

There’s more to St Louis than the Gateway Arch, and to prove it, I’ve written a few other posts about St Louis that are worth checking out!:

60+ St Louis Date Ideas that You’ll Absolutely Love!

21 free things for Adults (21+) to do in St Louis

9 Best Historic Home Tours in St Louis

How to have the Best 48 Hours in St Louis