The Circle Trail at Pipestone National Monument
There are two trails at Pipestone National Monument. The Quarry Trail is a paved, quarter-mile trail that leads to the active pipestone quarries. The three-quarter-mile Circle Trail, which is also paved, takes visitors through the tallgrass prairie and past a pipestone quarry, a waterfall, and a rock on which the first Americans to map the area chiseled their names in 1838. Both trails cover flat terrain and are wheelchair accessible, but they are not ADA compliant. The Circle Trail does have some side options that require going up stairs.
Visitors to the park should at a minimum walk the Quarry Trail, for seeing the quarries is the entire reason to visit. The Circle Trail is just as interesting, and being short as well, there is no reason not to walk it unless you have mobility issues.
See the following web pages for details and photos of each trail.
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Last updated on November 13, 2024
