Medicine Wheel Park

30-acre park includes medicine wheel solar calendar, solar system model, 5 interpretive panels, Indian burial mounds, walking trail, scenic overlook and perennial garden.

Native American Burial Mounds at Medicine Wheel Park
Medicine Wheel Park in Valley City is home to ancient Native American burial mounds, which offer a glimpse into the region's rich cultural history. There are twelve burial mounds within the borders of the Park. These mounds are the same type of cemeteries used by Plains Woodlands Indians from 500 to 2,000 years ago. The park also features a large, intricately designed medicine wheel, an astronomical calendar, and peaceful walking trails. Visitors can explore the symbolic significance of these sacred sites while enjoying the park's natural beauty and educational exhibits.

"This Medicine Wheel is a multicultural symbol celebrating the calendar discovery process by our intelligent human ancestors around the globe and honoring the presence of the Native American burial mounds immediately to the east. This particular burial mound complex, built 500-2000 years ago, was originally comprised of 15 circular mounds and 5 linear mounds, 12 of which remain within the boundary of the Park. The area was first surveyed in 1883 by T.H. Lewis, who was part of the Northwest Archeological Survey, which mapped features such as burial mounds, rock alignments, and pictographs in eleven states and Manitoba, Canada"

• Walking Tour of the Solar System: A model of the solar system stretches from the Sun (the center of the Medicine Wheel) to one third of a mile away, with boulders representing the planets. These boulders are placed in proportion to the planets’ average distances from the Sun on a scale where one foot equals three million miles.
• Meridian Calendar: The meridian calendar uses the length of a shadow cast by a utility pole to mark the beginning of each season at local apparent noon.
• North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT): The NCT is a 4,600-mile trail running west to east across seven northern states, linking North Dakota to New York. A segment of this trail winds through Medicine Wheel Park for visitors to walk along.