The Great Serpent Mound is a 1348 foot long, three foot high effigy mound located on a plateau above Serpent Mound Crater and Brush Creek in south central Ohio. The serpent winds back and forth for more than eight hundred feet and seven coils, and ends in a triple-coiled tail. Archaeologists are still debating its origin, mainly because the structure contains no artifacts or burials, items that might help identify a time period. Current theories suggest that the mound was built either by the Adena Culture (700 B.C. to 200 A.D.) or the Fort Ancient Culture (1000 A.D. to 1800 A.D.). And, astronomers are still questioning the astrological significance of the mound, wondering whether the coils and head are aligned to solstices and equinoxes and other astral events. What IS undisputed is that this is the coolest effigy mound in the United States! A smallish museum (with an excellent running video) will provide necessary information about the mound area, then a paved path leads around the entirety of serpent. At the beginning of the trail, a small tower provides an excellent view of much of the mound (which is even better in winter when trees are leafless). And, though the impact crater (estimated to 250 million years ago) is no longer visible, a stroll along a nature trail that leads down to Brush Creek certainly leaves an impression. Pack a picnic lunch and plan to spend a couple of hours at a site (and sight!) that will definitely leave you in wonder.
