HOW TO VISIT THE JEFFERS PETROGLYPHS & PIPESTONE NATIONAL MONUMENT
1) Always call or visit the Minnesota Office of Tourism FIRST to make sure that
they are open and when. The Jeffers Petroglyphs is being renovated and a new
visitor center is in the planning stages so the site may be closed or have
different hours than usual during the summer. Metro Number 296-5029; Outside
the Metro Area Toll Free Dial 1 & then 800 657-3700.
2) Jeffers Normal Hours are May through Labor Day: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and
Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. September 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and
noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
3) Pipestone National Monument’s hours are: Memorial Day-Labor Day: M-Th 8 a.m.
-6p.m., F-Su 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; remainder of the year: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; Closed
Christmas and New Years Day.
4) Directions from the Twin Cities to the Jeffers Petroglyphs: Take 35 W south
to Highway 101 and go west. Highway 101 turns into Highway 169 which goes all
the way to and through Mankato. After going through Mankato go west on
Highway 60 from the exit off of Highway 169 until you reach Highway 71. Go north
on Highway 71 until you reach Cottonwood County Road 10. Go three miles east on
Cottonwood County Road 10, then one mile south on County Road 2. The Jeffers
site is near the Little Cottonwood River and is to the east of the town of
Jeffers. Nearly all of the drive is on good highways where you can use cruise
control and the trip takes about 3 ½ hours one way. Make sure to get an early
enough start so that you have time to see the site before it closes at 5, 6,
or 8 p.m. A visit can be done in one day if you start early enough. If you have
a weekend, you may wish to include a visit to Blue Mounds State Park (there is
some camping but you may wish to reserve a spot well ahead of time) as it has
had a buffalo herd in past years.
5) Directions from Jeffers Petroglyphs to Pipestone National Monument: From the
Jeffers site go one mile north on County Road 2 back to Cottonwood County Road
10. Go west on Cottonwood County Road 10 for three miles to Highway 71. Go south
on Highway 71 until you get to County Road 30. Go west on 30 following its
changes in direction. Following the turns and the road signs all the way to
Pipestone.
HOW TO VISIT THE JEFFERS PETROGLYPHS & PIPESTONE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Always call or visit the Minnesota Office of Tourism FIRST to make sure
that they are open and when. Metro Number 296-5029; Outside the Metro
Area Toll Free Dial 1 & then 800 657-3700.
Jeffers Petroglyphs: Normal Hours are May through Labor Day: 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. September 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free admission (as of this posting).
The Jeffers Petroglyphs site is being renovated and a new visitor center
is in the planning stages so the site may be closed or have different
hours than usual during the summer.
Directions from the Twin Cities to the Jeffers Petroglyphs: Take 35 W
south to Highway 101 and go west. Highway 101 turns into Highway 169
which goes all the way to and through Mankato. After going through Mankato go
west on Highway 60 from the exit off of Highway 169 until you reach Highway
71. Go north on Highway 71 until you reach Cottonwood County Road 10. Go
three miles east on Cottonwood County Road 10, then one mile south on County
Road 2.
The Jeffers site is just to the west of the Little Cottonwood River and
is generally to the east of the town of Jeffers. Nearly all of the drive is
on good highways where you can use cruise control and the trip takes
about 3½ hours one way. If you wish to eat at a restaurant before visiting the
site you should probably do so in St. James or before since the site does not
now have food available.
A visit can be done in one day if you start early enough. If you have a
weekend, you may wish to include a visit to Blue Mounds State Park which has
had a buffalo herd in past years. There is some camping, but you may wish to
reserve a spot well ahead of time. It is located just north of Luverne on
Minnesota Trunk Highway 75. Blue Mounds is a wonderful place to experience the
prairie and the Great Plains, particularly when the wildflowers are blooming.
It is one of the largest prairie parks in Minnesota and has more than 1,500
acres of grasslands.
You may also wish to visit Pipestone National Monument. Pipestone National
Monument is located in Pipestone, MN, near the South Dakota border. Within the
monument, there are pipestone (Catlinite) quarries, native tallgrass prairie,
quartzite bluffs, and a creek with a waterfall. The monument also has a few
petroglyphs that were cut out of the ground in an attempt to conserve them by
the town’s founder, and a few of the petroglyphs (not many) line the sidewalk
area near the visitor center.
Pipestone National Monument is open every day of the week throughout the year,
with the exception of
Christmas and New Years days. The visitor center is usually open 8 am to 5 pm.
(You may wish to check for extended hours during certain times of the year).
After the closing of the visitor center the trail remains open until dark.
Directions from Jeffers Petroglyphs to Pipestone National Monument: From
the Jeffers site go one mile north on County Road 2 back to Cottonwood
County Road 10. Go west on Cottonwood County Road 10 for three miles to
Highway 71. Go south on Highway 71 until you get to County Road 30. Go
west on 30 following its changes in direction. Following the turns and the
road signs all the way to Pipestone.
Pipestone is also easily accessible from the south by Highway I-90 to Minnesota 23 or
U.S. 75, from the west by Highway I-29 to South Dakota 34 and Minnesota 30 to
U.S. 75,
from the north by U.S. 75, and from the east by Minnesota 30 or 23 to U.S. 75.
U.S. 75 connects with local roads leading to the monument.
The entrance fee is $2.00 per person with a maximum of $4.00 per family.
Native Americans, educational groups, and those under 16 years of age are
exempt from the fee. All Department of Interior Passports (Golden Eagle,
Golden Age, and Golden Access) are applicable to the entrance fee.
Reservations for school groups and other educational groups should be made in
advance of your visit. At least a one month notice is required for Special Use
Permits. Native Americans who wish to quarry pipestone must apply for a permit
in person at the visitor center and proof of tribal affiliation is needed.
© 1997 call0031@tc.umn.edu
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