Pipestone National Monument

Jessica Schreier

This is the most lovely place to walk, sight see and to take in the beauty of what nature has to offer us. My family absolutely loves this place. We even took our family pictures here! The beauty, the peace and calmness it gives my autistic son is a HUGE bonus for us as well!!

Garry Thompson

I discovered the National Monument by accident. I was driving west on Interstate 90 and saw a brown sign and not being in a particular hurry, I decided to take a 30-mile detour to the Pipestone National Monument. My first stop was at the visitor center where I picked up a map and talked to one of the very friendly rangers. The small museum excellent and gives you an excellent overview of the history of the area. During my visit there was also a gentleman giving a demonstration on how the pipestones are carved into ceremonial pipes and other treasured objects. After spending some time in the visitors center, I hiked the loop trail through the site. The trail is relatively easy with a few steps in inclines. It is a little over a mile in length. One of the highlights of the trail is Winnewissa Falls. At the top of the Fall there is a historical plaque that commemorates the Nicollet Expedition of 1838 who rested here for 3-days and carved their name on a rock below the plaque. Those names are still visible today. The entire hike was very relaxing and enjoyable. All in all I spent about 3-hours here and enjoyed my Visit to the Pipestone National Monument.

Steven valentine

My family and I truly loved visiting the Pipestone National Monument. The exhibits in the visitors center were amazing and the staff were so welcoming and nice. A few people even shared their processes of how they make pipestone pipes. We also enjoyed walking the trail and seeing the different plants, trees, rocks and the waterfall. Would love to go again.

Chelsea Kaminski

We made the best random stop here. The timing was off as it was a wind advisory but that didn't stop us. We did the circle trail. It was so so so beautiful so much history and beauty.