Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information Prescribed Burn on Monday, May 11

The prescribed burn for May 11 has concluded and the Circle Trail is now open to visitors.

Caution Possible Bridge Closure

The Circle Trail bridge under Winnewissa Falls may be closed temporarily due to flooding caused by spring rain. Please pay attention to signage posted in the Visitor Center and at the bridge. The rest of the park and Circle Trail remain open.

Information Holiday Hours

On Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day the visitor center will be closed (trails will remain open with access to restrooms on the north side of the building).

Overview

For over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the red stone at this site to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony - a tradition that continues to this day and makes this site sacred to many people.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Arts and Culture
  • Craft Demonstrations
  • Cultural Demonstrations
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Snowshoeing
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Gift Shop and Souvenirs

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Park Grounds: The grounds are open 24 hours a day year-round so that visitors may walk the 3/4-mile Circle Trail at any time.

Getting there

Plane: Commercial service - located at Sioux Falls, SD -Joe Foss Field airport. 50 miles from Pipestone National Monument. Rental cars are available at the airport. Non-Commercial service - located at Pipestone MN airport. Courtesy car or transit service available to Pipestone National Monument from the airport. Car: Pipestone National Monument is easily accessible from local highways. When you reach the city of Pipestone, road signs will lead you to Pipestone National Monument.

Visitor centers

Weather

Weather varies seasonally from warm and humid in the summer to cold and snowy in the winter. Visitors should be prepared for seasonal weather and for rapidly-changing conditions.

Phone: 5078255464

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Pink wall of rock next to path and grass
Sioux Quartzite Cliffs · J.Borden
A couple outside in snowshoes smiling at the camera
Snowshoeing the Circle Trail · N.Barber
A sheet of stone being taken off a thick slab of stone in a quarry pit
Pulling Pipestone · J.Borden
A woman standing next to a little girl helping her make a clay pot
Jr. Ranger Camp Programs · C.McCright
A man in a quarry pit swings a hammer as a woman watches
Breaking Through · N.Barber
A man watches over a woman as she saws a piece of stone
Learning to Carve Pipestone · N.Barber

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