Charles Mound
More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
Charles Mound rises to 374 m in Illinois. Platte Mounds stands 435 m to the north-northwest, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Carr Road Tunnel, a attraction 1.9 miles away. Great River Road passes 10 miles off. 21 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Charles Mound is a gentle, 1,235-foot (376 m) high hill located in Scales Mound Township, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the small town of Scales Mound, and 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Galena. Despite its name, Charles Mound is a naturally occurring, erosional feature and is not to be confused with the intentional mounds created by native cultures. It is the highest natural point in the state and is thus considered a state highpoint. It is the lowest state highpoint in the Midwestern region of the United States.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1065571, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 374 m
What to expect
- Access
- Permitted
How to reach it
- 10.0 mi off the Great River Road, National
- 19.3 mi off the Grant Wood Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Inspiration Point · 20 mi
- Bellevue Overlook · 20 mi
- Horseshoe Bluff · 20 mi
- River Viewing Point · 21 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Badger Park: 4.6 mi
- Lead Miners Memorial Park: 4.7 mi
- Benton Village Park: 8.3 mi
- Swift Park: 8.7 mi
- Milton B. Wiseman Memorial Park: 8.8 mi
- Jackson County Freedom Rock: 19.3 mi
- Young Corn: 19.3 mi
- Bellevue Lions: 19.4 mi
- Bellevue Lions: 19.4 mi
- Bellevue War Mural: 19.5 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 2.0 mi
- Old Chicago Stageroad: 2.3 mi
- Wisconsin Lead Region: 4.7 mi
- Julia Dent Grant: 11.4 mi
- Fort Hamilton: 17.2 mi
- Carr Road Tunnel: 1.9 mi
- Gravity Hill: 3.0 mi
- Culvert Road Tunnel: 3.2 mi
- Roberts Road Bridge: 3.9 mi
- Shullsburg factory tour: 4.7 mi
- Apple River Canyon State Park: 10.4 mi
- Tapley Woods Conservation Area: 10.7 mi
- Horseshoe Mound Preserve: 10.8 mi
- Winston Tunnel State Natural Area: 13.5 mi
- Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve: 13.8 mi
- Berry Tavern: 2.3 mi
- Badger Mine and Museum: 4.6 mi
- Dowling House: 11.3 mi
- Old Market House: 11.3 mi
- Presidential Pets and China: 11.4 mi
- White Hill: 2.7 mi
- Scales Mound: 3.0 mi
- Wenzel Mound: 3.4 mi
- Hudson Mound: 3.6 mi
- Squirrel Grove Mound: 4.7 mi
- Cleary Spring: 6.1 mi
- Marsden Well: 11.0 mi
- Cedar Spring: 16.8 mi
- Plum Creek Spring: 16.9 mi
- Paradise Cove Artesian Well: 22.8 mi
- Hosta Garden: 11.4 mi
- Fireman's Memorial Garden: 19.6 mi
- Bellevue State Park Butterfly Garden: 20.3 mi
- Dubuque Rescue Mission Garden: 21.6 mi
- Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens: 24.4 mi
- South Bluff: 19.9 mi
- Horseshoe Bluff: 20.5 mi
- Kellys Bluff: 21.9 mi
- Apple Canyon Waterfall: 7.1 mi
- Thunder Bay Falls: 9.1 mi
- Bellevue Beach: 15.0 mi
- Grant County Rest Area 106: 19.3 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Charles Mound. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platte Mounds | NNW 335° | 435 m | 19.8 mi |
| Belmont Mound | NNW 343° | 427 m | 19.1 mi |
| Little Mound | NNW 337° | 389 m | 19.4 mi |
| White Hill | NNE 12° | 381 m | 2.7 mi |
| Benton Mound | SE 127° | 367 m | 12.2 mi |
| Mount Sumner | ESE 117° | 357 m | 5.6 mi |
| Scales Mound | SSW 212° | 356 m | 3.0 mi |
| Squirrel Grove Mound | E 97° | 355 m | 4.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:05 | 18:36 | 19:13 |
| June solstice | 05:24 | 20:00 | 20:43 |
| September equinox | 06:49 | 18:23 | 19:00 |
| December solstice | 07:28 | 15:46 | 16:32 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 19 | 23 | 35 | 47 | 58 | 68 | 72 | 70 | 62 | 50 | 37 | 25 |
| Precip in | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Galena, 13 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element node/354164185
Day trips start here
- Dubuque · 22 mi
Take the scenic way to Charles Mound.
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