Pipestone National Monument Minnesota

For countless generations, American Indians have quarried the red pipestone found at this site. These grounds are sacred to many people because the pipestone quarried here is carved into pipes used for prayer. Many believe that the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit. The traditions of quarrying and pipemaking continue here today.

The pipestone quarries are a sacred site for many American Indians. For centuries, tribes across North America traveled to this site to quarry red pipestone for making pipes and effigies from the easily carved material. Today, they still travel long distances to quarry this sacred stone and continue the tradition of pipemaking. Red pipestone is a valuable spiritual resource to many American Indians.

Pipestone National Monument offers an opportunity to explore unique cultural and natural resources. View active quarry pits where American Indians continue the traditions of the past by quarrying pipestone. Continue with the nature walk on the Circle Trail to see historical markers, unique quartzite rock formations, and Winnewissa Falls. The quarries are surrounded with many varieties of flowers and grasses growing in the native tallgrass prairie.

Visitor Center
Inside the Visitor Center you will find numerous activities including a museum that features exhibits about Pipestone National Monument's cultural, historical and natural resources.

Visitors also have the opportunity to watch an award winning 22-minute film, "Pipestone: An Unbroken Legacy." The film provides perspective on the significance of Pipestone and the quarrying tradition still carried out today.

Cultural Demonstrations
American Indian craft workers demonstrate the art of shaping and creating pipestone crafts and pipes in the Visitor Center.

Visitors have an opportunity to interact with and learn from the pipemakers. The demonstrations are available from April to mid-October.

Nature Walk
The Circle Trail, which begins and ends at the Visitor Center, is a paved walking trail that leads to several points of interest at Pipestone National Monument. 

Activities Near By:

Split Rock Creek State Park
Just seven miles south of Pipestone, MN, is the area’s nearest state park, Split Rock Creek State Park. Swim, fish or boat the waters of Split Rock Lake.

Blue Mounds State Park
Blue Mounds State Park protects a bison herd which grazes on one of the most picturesque prairie remnants in the state of Minnesota. The Park is located 25 miles south of Pipestone, MN.

Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site
Amid the prairie grasses at Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site are islands of uncovered rock, where American Indians left carvings - petroglyphs. They tell a story that spans 5,000 years. Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site is located 83 miles east of Pipestone, MN.

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