On our recent tour of Southwestern Minnesota State Parks, we stopped by Pipestone National Monument. Visiting Pipestone National Monument is free and the site is open year-round. Start your self guided tour of the monument in the Visitor’s Center. Here you’ll find several well done displays explaining the significance of the area. On our visit we also watched the 22 minute video on the spiritual importance of pipestone which also included details on how the stone is quarried.
Guests will also find a number of hands-on-displays in the visitor’s center. Here the boys were able to test their strength and see if they could lift pails of quartzite that must to hauled away in order to reach the pipestone. The upper layer of quartzite is between 4 and 10 feet thick and topped with a layer of gravel. It can take weeks, months or even years to reach the pipestone layer.
The importance of the pipe in Native American prayer is also explained in the displays and the video at the Pipestone National Monument Visitor’s Center. The boys really enjoyed smelling the various materials that are burned in the pipe. These include tobacco, sage, sweetgrass and cedar. The cedar was the best smelling in their opinion.
Waterfall
After spending about 45 minutes at the visitor’s center, we went outside to walk the three-quarter mile Circle Trail to the quarries and waterfall. We toured the trail clockwise from the visitor’s center. The Circle Trail meanders through tall grass prairie and along a small stream before you reach this misty waterfall. Along the trail you’ll also see quarries were people have quarried for pipestone for centuries.
Just beyond the waterfall, trail steps lead to the oracle lookout. You don’t need to put your eye right up to the hole to see it but looking through there forces you to focus on the facial profile in the rock.
The final stop on the Circle Trail before arriving back at the visitor’s center is the sample quarry. Here you can see the layers of gravel and quartzite piled upon the soft red pipestone lower layer. We really enjoyed our visit to Pipestone National Monument. We gained a better understanding and appreciation for Native customs and traditions.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle