Chillicothe and the Hopewell Earthworks: A History Day Trip

Chillicothe, in Ross County, offers two layers of Ohio history in one day: monumental earthworks that Native American people built more than 2,000 years ago, and a downtown that was home to the state's first government. It is a longer drive than most Hocking Hills day trips, roughly an hour or more each way from many cabins, so check your own route and start early.

The ancient sites also give useful context to the land you are staying on. Our history of Hocking County covers the region's deep past; this trip lets you stand inside some of the largest evidence of it.

What the Hopewell earthworks are

The National Park Service manages Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe, with five separate units: Mound City Group, Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks and High Bank Works. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, the collective name for eight monumental sites in Ohio built by Native Americans over 2,000 years ago, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023. Five of the eight are managed by the National Park Service and three by the Ohio History Connection, including Fort Ancient and the Newark Earthworks, which are separate trips from Chillicothe.

These are not tall pyramids. They are low, geometric enclosures and mounds, and some are hard to read from the ground. That is part of the experience, and the park's interpretive signs and film help.

Start at Mound City Group

The visitor center is at 16062 State Route 104, next to Mound City Group. The park lists it as open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with limited hours, showing the park film and offering restrooms and a store. It is normally closed on January 1, Thanksgiving Day and December 25. At the time we checked, the museum was listed as temporarily unavailable, so confirm what is open.

Mound City itself is compact and walkable. The park describes 25 mounds inside a low earthen wall that encloses about 16.8 acres, with gateways on the east and west sides. During World War I the site was a military training center called Camp Sherman. After it was razed in the early 1920s, the earthworks were excavated and reconstructed.

• You may walk among the mounds, but not on the mounds or walls.
• There are no trails inside the enclosure. Outside it, a nature trail and a paved river walk run along the Scioto River.
• Drones are prohibited throughout the park at all times.

Choose one more earthwork

Do not try to see all five units. Pick one more based on how much walking you want.

The grounds of Mound City Group, Hopeton, Hopewell Mound Group and Seip are open dawn to dusk. High Bank Works is restricted to permit use or ranger-led events, so it is not a drop-in stop.

Lunch and the first-capital story downtown

Downtown Chillicothe is a good place for lunch. The local visitors bureau, whose visitor center is at 230 N Plaza Boulevard, describes historic downtown streets with shops, restaurants and a trolley, and lists places such as Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Old Canal Smokehouse, Pour House at Machinery Hall and Austin Mill Brewing Company. We have not eaten at these and cannot vouch for current hours, so check before you go.

The bureau promotes Chillicothe as Ohio's first capital. A CityBeat article says Governor Edward Tiffin and the General Assembly met in Chillicothe on March 1, 1803, and it identifies the Ross County Courthouse as Ohio's first statehouse in 1803. The bureau also lists the Ross County Heritage Center, Adena Mansion & Gardens (a 19th-century estate) and the Majestic Theatre. The outdoor drama Tecumseh! runs through Labor Day, so it will not be on in late fall or winter. Plan on one museum or historic home at most; a full day is already ambitious.

A one-day plan

• Early morning: Leave Hocking Hills with a full tank and offline directions.
• Mid-morning: Visitor center, film and a slow loop at Mound City Group.
• Midday: Lunch downtown, and a short downtown walk.
• Afternoon: Hopeton overlook trail or Seip, whichever suits your energy.
• Late afternoon: Start back so you are not on winding roads in the dark. Earthwork grounds close at dusk, and the sun sets early from November through February.

What to expect on the ground

These are quiet, open-air places, and part of the experience is how little is there. Bring water and a snack, and wear shoes that can handle damp grass. Because the earthwork walls are low and some have been leveled by farming, a quick look at the park's interpretive signs and the film at the visitor center makes the later walks much more meaningful. Hopeton and Seip have no restrooms, so use the facilities at the visitor center or downtown before you go. Daylight matters too: the park lists the grounds as open dawn to dusk, so in winter you have a narrow window.

Check before you go

• The park's current hours and alerts. The Hopewell page was last updated in December 2025.
• Fees. We did not verify any fee on the park's pages, so look at the National Park Service fees page.
• Weather and mud. Hopeton and Seip are open-air walks across fields.

If you want to pair this with another history stop closer to your cabin, Haydenville and the covered bridge drive both fit a lighter day.