Guided Walk at Seip Earthworks

The main trail from the parking lot Seip Mound at Seip Earthworks

NPS Photo / Tom Engberg

News Release Date: August 26, 2016

Contact: Rick Perkins, 740-774-1126

Ranger-Guided Tour  

Date: Thursday, September 1st, 2016

Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location: Seip Earthworks

Hiking Difficulty: Easy, flat terrain, long pants and sturdy walking shoes recommended

The ancient ceremonial complex at Seip Earthworks is visible again for the first time in over a century. The two and a half mile long embankment walls of this enormous geometric enclosure were long ago plowed nearly flat by decades of farming. However, to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has mowed around the remnants of the two thousand year old walls in such a way as to make them visible again.

Park Ranger Bruce Lombardo will lead a short evening walk to guide hikers through the circles, gateways, burial mounds and great square of the ancient complex, as well as a newly discovered feature that may have served as a Grand Entrance. The mowed outlines are based on a recent magnetic survey of the entire 120 acre ceremonial site conducted by an international team of archeologists led by the National Park Service and the German Archeological Institute.

The one hour evening program begins at 7:00 pm on September 1, 2016. Meet at Seip Earthworks on U.S. Rt. 50 near Paint Valley High School, 2.5 mi. east of Bainbridge, 5 miles west of Bourneville. Participation is free of charge.  Read up on Seip Earthworks before coming to the walk to gain a basic understanding of what the site is.