Pipestone National Monument

A national monument in southwestern Minnesota where Indigenous people have quarried red pipestone for pipes used in prayer and ceremony.

36 Reservation Ave, Pipestone, MN 56164 · Pipestone, MN

About Pipestone National Monument

Pipestone National Monument protects quarries of red catlinite stone that Indigenous people have worked for more than three thousand years. Many tribal nations still travel to the site to quarry the stone, which remains sacred to many people. Visitors can view active quarry pits, walk the 3/4-mile Circle Trail past historical markers and quartzite rock formations, see tallgrass prairie, and visit Winnewissa Falls. The park also offers a film, a Jr. Ranger program, and seasonal hands-on activities for kids.

#national monument
#Indigenous history
#sacred site
#pipestone quarry
#tallgrass prairie

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Pipestone National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance.

Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Blue Mounds State Park
Under $25
Watch a bison herd graze the prairie from a viewing platform, then hike or climb along a pink quartzite cliff just north of Luverne.
22 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Palisades State Park
Under $25
Hike, climb or paddle among pink Sioux quartzite cliffs that rise above Split Rock Creek near Garretson.
24 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sports & Outdoors
McCrory Gardens and South Dakota Arboretum
Under $25
University-run gardens and arboretum on the South Dakota State campus, with formal flower displays and wider tree collections to walk through.
30 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Museums
Family Favorite
Children's Museum of South Dakota
Under $25
A 44,000 square foot hands-on children's museum in Brookings with a full-size animatronic T. rex.
31 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum & East Sioux Falls Historic Site
Check prices
A Sioux Falls arboretum with wetlands, gardens, native plantings, and walking trails, also tied to a historic site.
36 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Museums
Brookings County Museum
Check prices
Local history museum in Volga, South Dakota, covering Brookings County and the surrounding area through a campus of historic buildings.
37 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums