The Monumental Earthworks at Poverty Point in northeastern Louisiana is the latest US World Heritage Site addition to recognize pre-Columbian cultures. The earthworks are the remnants of a culture that lived along the lower Mississippi River over 3000 years ago, and, although trees have grown and roads have been built, many of its mounds can still be appreciated in a walk around the site. I visited Poverty Point on a grey December day two years ago, and had the park almost to myself. After visiting the small museum, with its archaeological exhibits and overview movie, I started on the trail circumnavigating the site, aiming for the large, distinctive peak of Mound A, also known as the Bird Mound. From the top I could just barely make out the arcs of six concentric rings stretching out through the woods and fields, as well as smaller mounds on either side. The purpose of the mounds still confounds archaeologists, who postulate the area could have been anything from a settlement to a ceremonial site. The distinctive order to the mounds was hard to appreciate from the ground, so I highly recommend also looking at the site via Google Earth. I enjoyed my visit to Poverty Point, but I can understand the lack of architectural remains beyond the mounds will likely leave this site less popular to visitors than pre-Columbian sites in the west of the United States, such as Mesa Verde.

Logistics: The Monumental Earthworks at Poverty Point requires private transportation for access.