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Such a pleasant surprise, this National Monument was an amazing stop on our roadtrip. We love our all our National Parks, Monuments, Historic sites Each one is special in its own way, but some are just a WOW experience over others. Pipestone is one of those WOW places to visit. The Visitor Center, and area around it is very nice. We enjoyed our walk out to the quarry and the path with its Waterfall. Saw some different birds from a pair of Green Herons, Kingbirds, to American Goldfinchs. We also saw the unique 13 Lined squirrel near the Visitor Center. All of this was nice, but really made this stop so special were the people. Friendly Rangers and the Pipe Carvers themselves in the back of the center. They shared so much history about the working with Pipestone, the area and thier own personal history. Talking and watching them work was a real cool experience. Hard to describe, but my wife and I left this special place with a sense of something that we could not put into words. We also left with some remarkable pieces of Pipestone art to cherish and share with our Family. Beautiful People in a beautiful place.
I wasn't sure if I would like this monument since it seemed like a bunch of hand-dug quarries, but I ended up really enjoying it! I spent a lot buying pipestone crafts too haha. So the visitor's center has information about the cultural and historical significance of the site to the Native Americans, as pipestone is the second softest rock and hence suitable for carving into pipes which have spiritual significance. The visitor's center also has a gift shop portion where there are three workshops where you can see master craftspeople working on pipestone with hand tools. It was enthralling to watch. I bought a few pieces and received information on the artists who made them. I then walked the trail to see the quarries and the waterfall. It was pretty peaceful. The quarries are all hand quarried, and there were very large piles of rocks! As the quarries are mined, the vein of pipestone dive deeper into the earth, so more of the overlying hard rock needs to be removed before the pipestone can be accessed.
I have to admit we've never heard of this park before and we live less than 3 hours away which made us think there wasn't much to see and do here. Apparently we were wrong. First off there is no admission here, at least not in the off-season ( November ). As you walk in there is a Ranger sitting inside that will answer all of your questions and offer you a map of the outdoor trails which I recommend spending a half hour - full hour seeing multiple Quarries, a beautiful waterfall named Winniewissa and seeing the Quartzsite rock formations as well as a stream. On certain days you may see a guy carving the Pipestone into pipes, animals or other things. All in all this is a beautiful park with historical significance well worth spending 1.5 - 3 hours here.
Pipestone was not as visually spectacular as the other National Monuments and Parks we visited on our recent trip (Devil's Tower for example), but it is culturally and historically significant and quite pretty too. The Interpretive displays in the visitor's center are excellent. The hike through property near the pipestone quarry is easy -- seniors and children should have no problem. The stream and waterfall is picturesque. Unless you are particularly interested in Native American culture I wouldn't make a special trip to Pipestone, but if you are passing by like we were, it is definitely worth the stop.
I drove from KC to Sioux Falls for a long weekend and was looking for things to do in the vicinity when I saw Pipestone National Monument on a map. Hmmm, I never heard of it and I thought that I knew all of the NPS sites in the mid-west - apparently not; so off we went on the 90 mile round trip. We watched the 22 minute film and so glad we took the time to gain the understanding of the importance of this sacred site and to once again realize what a pathetic way that this nation was settled. After the film we did a paved trail walk to see the quarries, falls, river, rock formations, natural prairie flowers.... An abundance of nature and beauty while contemplating the significance of the rock and the this site to the native peoples. A perfect afternoon. Take the time to leave the interstate!
This was my first visit to the monument. This is basically a walking trail with rock outcropping and active pipestone mines. Native Americans have mined pipestone here for many generations and continue to do so. There is natural prairie land and a small waterfall on the trail too. It is a paved trail and an easy walk. It is definitely worth checking out.
Very informative about the sacredness of the area for American Indians, learned a lot that I hadn't heard before. The rocks are beautiful
Visited the park today. #107 out of 419. I have a ways to go. Really nice park. Ranger at front desk was full of knowledge about the park. We watched a short 22 min video about the park, walked through the small museum. Then watch guys making pipes from stone. We were told it takes about two and a half hours. Finally we walked the grounds. Beautiful waterfalls. Would be a great place for families and school field trips.
If you are traveling east or west on 90 and need something to break up the drive, it is worth the 50 mile roundup to visit this monument. We were here on a Tuesday in mid-May and only saw a handful of people. There is a less than one mile paved path that takes you to the pretty impressive Winniwissa waterfall and through the quartzite cliffs. Nice picnic area at Three Maidens. There is currently no admission even though some literature states that there is.
This park had unexpected beautiful natural features. We visited in the fall so the leaves had turned colors. There were a handful of waterfalls that were gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer and walked around more. The inside of the museum center had stations where Native artists sat and told us about how the carve and work pipestone. There was also a gift shop where you can purchase pipestone art. I hope to visit again someday and spend more time here doing the longer walks.
Parking lot may be smaller than you expect (at least for me). However, we had no troubles finding a spot. It was an early Saturday on the birthday weekend of National Parks Service when my boyfriend and I made the trip to Pipestone from Minneapolis. There were spotty showers on and off, but it was cool as I wore my rain coat the majority of the time and rain boots are always fun! The trails are very easy! They are paved to where you can bring a stroller, though some trails may be tight as it is a single lane trail for most parts. Also wheelchair accessible! And you can bring pets! The trail is no more than a mile long. You can spend about an hour or two here. The path takes you along where you'll see everything you're there for. This place is truly beautiful.
It's hard for me to use the word "monument" here... When I think monument...I consider a monument to be something man made. To me this is more of just a gorgeous cutout of well kept and preserved natural landscape... A park. A vibrant scene. With over 400 native plant species, including big bluestem, little bluestem, and buffalo grass, the area teems with natural beauty. Stunning red stone bluffs and cliffs of Sioux Quartzite, a hard rock formed between 1.6 and 1.7 billion years ago.. A highlight of the area is Winnewissa Falls, a beautiful waterfall that cascades into Pipestone creek. Two main trails allow you to navigate this park. The Circle trail is a paved, 3/4-mile loop trail guides visitors to the key natural highlights including the quarries, historical markers, Old Stone Face, Winnewissa Falls, and the tallgrass prairie. The South Quarry trail is about 1/2 mile roundtrip, out and back on the same path, and it provides a look into the active quarrying pits where Indigenous people have been extracting pipestone for thousands of years. Both trails are easy to navigate and I'd consider them to be a very easy hike... And I'm not exactly athletic. Lol The paths are both paved and are considered wheelchair accessible. Parking is free, the lot is nice sized, and near the visitor center and restrooms. As you leave the lot heading towards the park you are basically at the starting point of the Circle trail. If you like a nice little walk... This is a great place to get out to and witness the enduring natural beauty of it's prairies, cliffs, and waterfalls, and explore remarkable geological formations... I'm willing to bet parts of the park are spectacular at sunset! And as long as you are in the area... Visit nearby Fort Pipestone and it's gift shop along with Keepers Gift Shop & Gallery! read more
1 year ago
We are enroute to Brookings, SD for football game and left a day early. Due to government shutdown, the visitor center is closed. I guess I missed a video and other displays. IDK. Stopped at a store in Pipestone and worker talked some about it. Today was a nice day in October and the place was very sparce with other visitors. The walking trail was short at .75 mile, so my spouse could handle it. It was very scenic and pretty. I read more about the monument from the brochure at the store downtown. It is also free to attend at all times. read more
Such a pleasant surprise, this National Monument was an amazing stop on our roadtrip. We love our all our National Parks, Monuments, Historic sites Each one is special in its own way, but some are just a WOW experience over others. Pipestone is one of those WOW places to visit. The Visitor Center, and area around it is very nice. We enjoyed our walk out to the quarry and the path with its Waterfall. Saw some different birds from a pair of Green Herons, Kingbirds, to American Goldfinchs. We also saw the unique 13 Lined squirrel near the Visitor Center. All of this was nice, but really made this stop so special were the people. Friendly Rangers and the Pipe Carvers themselves in the back of the center. They shared so much history about the working with Pipestone, the area and thier own personal history. Talking and watching them work was a real cool experience. Hard to describe, but my wife and I left this special place with a sense of something that we could not put into words. We also left with some remarkable pieces of Pipestone art to cherish and share with our Family. Beautiful People in a beautiful place. read more
I wasn't sure if I would like this monument since it seemed like a bunch of hand-dug quarries, but I ended up really enjoying it! I spent a lot buying pipestone crafts too haha. So the visitor's center has information about the cultural and historical significance of the site to the Native Americans, as pipestone is the second softest rock and hence suitable for carving into pipes which have spiritual significance. The visitor's center also has a gift shop portion where there are three workshops where you can see master craftspeople working on pipestone with hand tools. It was enthralling to watch. I bought a few pieces and received information on the artists who made them. I then walked the trail to see the quarries and the waterfall. It was pretty peaceful. The quarries are all hand quarried, and there were very large piles of rocks! As the quarries are mined, the vein of pipestone dive deeper into the earth, so more of the overlying hard rock needs to be removed before the pipestone can be accessed. read more
I have to admit we've never heard of this park before and we live less than 3 hours away which made us think there wasn't much to see and do here. Apparently we were wrong. First off there is no admission here, at least not in the off-season ( November ). As you walk in there is a Ranger sitting inside that will answer all of your questions and offer you a map of the outdoor trails which I recommend spending a half hour - full hour seeing multiple Quarries, a beautiful waterfall named Winniewissa and seeing the Quartzsite rock formations as well as a stream. On certain days you may see a guy carving the Pipestone into pipes, animals or other things. All in all this is a beautiful park with historical significance well worth spending 1.5 - 3 hours here. read more
Pipestone was not as visually spectacular as the other National Monuments and Parks we visited on our recent trip (Devil's Tower for example), but it is culturally and historically significant and quite pretty too. The Interpretive displays in the visitor's center are excellent. The hike through property near the pipestone quarry is easy -- seniors and children should have no problem. The stream and waterfall is picturesque. Unless you are particularly interested in Native American culture I wouldn't make a special trip to Pipestone, but if you are passing by like we were, it is definitely worth the stop. read more
7 years ago
I drove from KC to Sioux Falls for a long weekend and was looking for things to do in the vicinity when I saw Pipestone National Monument on a map. Hmmm, I never heard of it and I thought that I knew all of the NPS sites in the mid-west - apparently not; so off we went on the 90 mile round trip. We watched the 22 minute film and so glad we took the time to gain the understanding of the importance of this sacred site and to once again realize what a pathetic way that this nation was settled. After the film we did a paved trail walk to see the quarries, falls, river, rock formations, natural prairie flowers.... An abundance of nature and beauty while contemplating the significance of the rock and the this site to the native peoples. A perfect afternoon. Take the time to leave the interstate! read more
This was my first visit to the monument. This is basically a walking trail with rock outcropping and active pipestone mines. Native Americans have mined pipestone here for many generations and continue to do so. There is natural prairie land and a small waterfall on the trail too. It is a paved trail and an easy walk. It is definitely worth checking out. read more
3 years ago
First time at this monument and really enjoyed the visitors center and trails around it. Very informative on indigenous people and quarrying the pipestone in area, effigy making and pipes. Loved talking with Miss Jackie, she was awesome! Definitely worth a visit if interested. read more
4 years ago
Very informative about the sacredness of the area for American Indians, learned a lot that I hadn't heard before. The rocks are beautiful read more
Visited the park today. #107 out of 419. I have a ways to go. Really nice park. Ranger at front desk was full of knowledge about the park. We watched a short 22 min video about the park, walked through the small museum. Then watch guys making pipes from stone. We were told it takes about two and a half hours. Finally we walked the grounds. Beautiful waterfalls. Would be a great place for families and school field trips. read more
3 years ago
If you are traveling east or west on 90 and need something to break up the drive, it is worth the 50 mile roundup to visit this monument. We were here on a Tuesday in mid-May and only saw a handful of people. There is a less than one mile paved path that takes you to the pretty impressive Winniwissa waterfall and through the quartzite cliffs. Nice picnic area at Three Maidens. There is currently no admission even though some literature states that there is. read more
This park had unexpected beautiful natural features. We visited in the fall so the leaves had turned colors. There were a handful of waterfalls that were gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer and walked around more. The inside of the museum center had stations where Native artists sat and told us about how the carve and work pipestone. There was also a gift shop where you can purchase pipestone art. I hope to visit again someday and spend more time here doing the longer walks. read more
Parking lot may be smaller than you expect (at least for me). However, we had no troubles finding a spot. It was an early Saturday on the birthday weekend of National Parks Service when my boyfriend and I made the trip to Pipestone from Minneapolis. There were spotty showers on and off, but it was cool as I wore my rain coat the majority of the time and rain boots are always fun! The trails are very easy! They are paved to where you can bring a stroller, though some trails may be tight as it is a single lane trail for most parts. Also wheelchair accessible! And you can bring pets! The trail is no more than a mile long. You can spend about an hour or two here. The path takes you along where you'll see everything you're there for. This place is truly beautiful. read more
6 years ago
9 years ago
Wild turkeys seen on the drive in! Informative visitor center with lots of examples of the artwork made with Pipestone. Be sure to get the trail guide from the front desk before you take the paved walking trail. Worth the short walk! Good movie in the theater also. read more
11 years ago
I'm not a spiritual person but this place got me. Its not extravagant, its out of the way and it was raining when we went but oh man what a place. The NA history is so deep and this place does a great job showing how powerful of a people they really are. read more
8 years ago
6 years ago
11 years ago
More info about Pipestone National Monument
Ask the Community - Pipestone National Monument
Is there a gift shop to aquire pipestone or pipestone fetishes?
There is a small shop in the visitor's center with finished pipestone crafts. You cannot buy pipestone pipes or raw pipestone within the boundaries of the national monument.
