U. S. National Parks
Factbook

October 2026 edition
A Factbook library volume ↗

← Contents by designation

National Monuments · Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument

Official park website ↗

Introduction

Background: 1

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.

Geography

Designation: 3

National Monument

State or territory: 4

Minnesota

3D Park Map of Pipestone National Monument: 5

Perspective map of Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. The park is shown in darker green and the surrounding areas are faded. Bushes dot the flat terrain and Pipestone Creek, shown in blue, and an interpretive trail in yellow wind through the park.
3D Park Map of Pipestone National Monument · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center · Official map PDF ↗

Map scope: Pipestone National Monument

Perspective map of Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. The park is shown in darker green and the surrounding areas are faded. Bushes dot the flat terrain and Pipestone Creek, shown in blue, and an interpretive trail in yellow wind through the park.

History and culture

Collections: 6

Pipestone National Monument's collections include over 100,000 items, including artifacts such as:

Selected pipe bowls, stems, and other artworks are currently on display in the Visitor Center. These items reflect the breadth of carving styles people from different cultures executed at various points in time. Petroglyphs that were carved, incised or pecked into blocks of quartzite are also on display.

Portions of the Pipestone National Monument collections are at the Midwest Archaeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. For questions about donating items to the park's collections, please see our donations page. Learn more about museum management in the National Park Service while taking virtual tours of numerous collections around the country.

Nature

Ecology: 7

Pipestone National Monument offers an opportunity to explore unique cultural and natural resources in the region commonly known as the Coteau des Prairies (the Highland of the Prairies) . The Monument was established in 1937 to ensure access for American Indians enrolled in federally recognized tribes to the pipestone quarries. The Monument also preserves a distinctive geological story, glacial history, and 301-acres of tallgrass prairie (some of which has never been plowed). The 3/4-mile Circle Trail is home to beautiful Sioux Quartzite outcroppings, a waterfall, over 500 types of plants, roughly 100 bird species, 25 mammal species, 26 fish species, 45 macroinvertebrate species, and more. The blending of cultural and natural resources at Pipestone National Monument makes this a remarkable place to visit.

Mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, and other critters that call Pipestone National Monument home.

Birds: 8

Over one hundred bird species have been documented at Pipestone National Monument although during the spring and fall months, many more migratory species can also be seen. Bird checklists are available at the information desk of the Visitor Center.

Pipestone National Monument and the Heartland Network Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service Midwest Region are seeking the assistance of volunteer birders to augment an ongoing bird monitoring program. Volunteer birders will receive direction and training in applying standard monitoring techniques to determine the annual distribution and abundance of breeding birds in the park. Volunteers will work closely with the monument's natural resource staff and the Heartland Networks project supervisor in this bird monitoring effort.

To find out more information on this exciting opportunity please contact: David Peitz, Wildlife Ecologist: 417-732-6438 ext. 276 or Pipestone's Chief Ranger: 507-825-5464 ext.219 Please visit the Volunteer In Parks section for additional information on volunteering in other areas at the Monument. Check out the articles below to learn more about bird monitoring at Pipestone:

Plants: 9

Hundreds of wildflowers fill the Monument every spring and summer. They have been used in many ways by Indigenous people for centuries.

These resilient organisms can live for thousands of years and currently cover much of the Sioux Quartzite outcroppings at the Monument.

Mammals: 10

Prior to European expansion, large mammals such as bison, antelope, and elk roamed throughout the area that is now Pipestone National Monument. Today, over 25 species of primarily smaller mammals (rabbits, beavers, thirteen-lined ground squirrels) and deer call the Monument home. The following mammals have been recorded within the Monument's boundaries:

Places to explore

Things To Do: 11

A waterfall, wildlife, tallgrass prairie, historical markers, and culturally important features

Visitor information

Physical Address: 12

36 Reservation Ave
Pipestone, MN 56164

Mailing Address: 13

36 Reservation Ave
Pipestone, MN 56164

Telephone: 14

(507) 825-5464 ext. 214

Visitation

Recreation visits: 15

77,436 (2025)

Sources & field notes

Source records (15)

Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.

  1. Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
    Return to field ↑

  2. The Three Maidens of Pipestone_Entrance_5-29-26_NPS-S.Bormann.JPG · NPS/ S. Bormann. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Catalog image date
    05/29/2026
    Source scope
    Pipestone National Monument
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    Public domain:Full Granting Rights
    Rights
    Public domain:Full Granting Rights
    Return to field ↑

  3. Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
    Return to field ↑

  4. State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
    Return to field ↑

  5. 3D Park Map of Pipestone National Monument · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Source scope
    Pipestone National Monument
    Download
    Official map PDF ↗
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    Public domain; NPS map
    Rights
    Public domain; NPS map
    Return to field ↑

  6. Collections · Collections — National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Source page last updated
    November 27, 2023
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
    Return to field ↑

  7. Ecology · Nature & Science — National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    November 13, 2019
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
    Return to field ↑

  8. Birds · Birds — National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    February 26, 2019
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
    Return to field ↑

  9. Plants · Plants — National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    November 16, 2019
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
    Return to field ↑

  10. Mammals · Mammals — National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    January 15, 2020
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
    Return to field ↑

  11. Things To Do · National Park Service. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
    Return to field ↑

  12. Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
    Return to field ↑

  13. Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
    Return to field ↑

  14. Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗

    Information date
    Not supplied by the source
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
    Return to field ↑

  15. Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗

    Information date
    2025
    Retrieved
    2026-10-30
    Methodology
    NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
    Reporting unit
    Pipestone NM
    Evidence
    Single source; not independently corroborated.
    Reuse
    Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
    Return to field ↑
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Source information

NPS VISITOR USE STATISTICS

Recreation visits

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