Pipestone National Monument
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.
Alerts
- CautionPossible 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.
- InformationPrescribed Burn on Monday, May 11
The prescribed burn for May 11 has concluded and the Circle Trail is now open to visitors.
- InformationHoliday 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).
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Admission, parking, tours, programs, and special events are all free.
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Admission is free and includes cultural demonstrations, exhibits, a film, and park store.
Explore
Things to do
- Hike the Circle Trail20-60 Minutes
The Circle Trail is a 3/4-mile long paved path. It cuts through a Tallgrass Prairie, along a creek with the endangered Topeka Shiner, in front of a waterfall, and past ancient quarries still used by Native Americans today.
Opens on the Park Service site - Exhibits & Film45-90 Minutes
Exhibits and a 22-minute film provide visitors with an understanding of the cultural and spiritual significance of the site.
Opens on the Park Service site - Picnic at the Three Maidens0 Minutes
The Monument has complimentary picnic tables and restrooms near the Three Maidens. The sheltered picnic area and lodge are owned by the city of Pipestone (contact information is provided).
Opens on the Park Service site - Indoor Interpretive Experiences15-60 Minutes
A wide range of indoor interpretive opportunities and hands-on activities are available from spring through fall.
Opens on the Park Service site - Cultural Demonstrations0-60 Minutes
From April through October, visitors can learn from cultural demonstrators.
Opens on the Park Service site - Outdoor Programs30-60 Minutes
Visitors are offered a chance to hear stories about Pipestone's history, learn more about its cultural and natural resources, attend night sky viewings, engage in interactive archeology programs, and more.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Winter Snowshoeing20-60 Minutes
Snowshoeing around the Circle Trail is available after January 1st as long as the conditions allow for it.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- New Year's Day Holiday01/01· runs through Jan 1Visitor Center
News
- CANCELLED: 2026 National Public Lands Day at Pipestone National Monument ↗2026-09-16
Calling all volunteers: Pipestone National Monument needs your help on National Public Lands Day! On Saturday, September 26th, volunteers can get out in the tallgrass prairie with park rangers from 9:00am – 12:00pm to…
- National Park Service and USGS Partner for Air Sampling Study at Winnewissa Falls ↗2026-08-04
From approximately August 9-14, 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will conduct air sampling around Winnewissa Falls at Pipestone National Monument.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Burlington Cedar Rapids and Northern DepotBuilding · Pipestone · 0.6 mi
- Pipestone Indian School Superintendent's HouseBuilding · Pipestone · 0.6 mi
- Calumet HotelBuilding · Pipestone · 1 mi
- Pipestone Public LibraryBuilding · Pipestone · 1.1 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Minnesota guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 240 birds, 31 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Barred Owl · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Coot · American Wigeon · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · Green-backed Heron · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · King Rail · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ross' Goose · Ruddy Duck · Sandhill Crane · Snow Goose · Snowy Egret · Virginia Rail · White-faced Ibis · Wood Duck · Yellow Rail
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Golden Plover · American Woodcock · Baird's Sandpiper · Black Tern · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Dunlin · European Herring Gull · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Hudsonian Godwit · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Marbled Godwit · Pectoral Sandpiper · Piping Plover · Pomarine Jaeger · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Upland Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Wilson's Phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · Sharp-tailed Grouse · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAlder Flycatcher · American Cliff Swallow · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Arctic Redpoll · Arctic Skua · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-capped Chickadee · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-headed Vireo · Bobolink · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bruant de LeConte · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clay-colored Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Wood Pewee · Eurasian Magpie · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray Partridge · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Great Grey Shrike · Harris' Sparrow · Henslow's Sparrow · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Lapland Longspur · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Oriole · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Grosbeak · Pine Siskin · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-sided Towhee · Rusty Blackbird · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Smith's Longspur · Snow Bunting · Song Sparrow · Sora · Sprague's Pipit · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Velvet Scoter · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsBEAVER · Cinereus Shrew · Common Muskrat · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Gray Squirrel · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · PRAIRIE DEER MOUSE · Plains Pocket Gopher · Richardson's Ground Squirrel · Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse · White-footed Deermouse · White-tailed Jack Rabbit · mole shrew
PredatorsAmerican Badger · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Cross Fox · Ermine · Least Weasel · Long-tailed Weasel · MINK · Striped Skunk
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsLittle Brown Bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · opposum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
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.
Questions people ask
Does Pipestone charge an entrance fee?
No. Pipestone is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Pipestone open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Pipestone right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Prescribed Burn on Monday, May 11; Possible Bridge Closure; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Pipestone?
77,436 recreation visits in 2025, number 239 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Pipestone?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Pipestone established?
1937. It covers about 0.4 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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