Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

High Bank Works

Chillicothe · Ross County · Southern Ohio

A circle and an octagon that track the sun and moon

Hopewell Culture National Historical ParkUNESCO World Heritage Site (2023)

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.

Content last reviewed: September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source: Official page
Location confidence: Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Use the listed address for directions; treat the map pin as a general area.
Check current conditions: Official conditions or closures

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The one Hopewell park site you cannot walk, with astronomy built into its walls.

Shapes: A large circle and an octagon, each roughly 1,000 feet across
Alignments: Line up with the sun on both solstices and with the moon's lunar standstill cycle
Link: The large circle has the same diameter as the Observatory Circle at Newark
Access: Closed to the public; used for archaeological research

The story

High Bank Works is a group of geometric earthworks along the Scioto River south of Chillicothe: a large circle and an octagon, each roughly 1,000 feet across, with many smaller structures. The lines of the walls match the sun's path on both solstices and the moon's path during the lunar standstill cycle, which suggests the Hopewell had detailed knowledge of astronomy. The large circle has the same diameter as the Observatory Circle in Newark.

Of the five sites in Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, it is the one that is closed to the public and used for research.

Related sites

The Site You Cannot Walk

Ask at the visitor center about High Bank and the answer is that you cannot go. The circle and the octagon sit in a field of nearly 200 acres, and the park keeps it closed so that archaeologists can work in peace.

It is a reminder that some of what the Hopewell built is still being studied.

Behind the legend

The closure is documented, and it is a research site. The alignments, to the solstice sun and the lunar standstill, are described by the National Park Service and in the UNESCO nomination.

It is one of the five Hopewell Culture NHP sites that make up part of the UNESCO Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.

If you go

Learn about it at Mound City's visitor center, and pair the visit with Hopeton and Mound City.