Everything Coming Full Circle Trail

That was the best pun I could do.

As part of my goal to hike seven new trails, I headed to Pipestone National Monument to hike Circle Trail.

The trail was extremely easy, and I would call it more of a walk than a hike, truthfully. It was paved all the way, and fairly flat. There were opportunities to climb the rocky bluffs, but they came with stairs that were short and easy to climb. A very accessible park, and I saw many families with small children roaming around, so it seems the landscape of the park was easy for all to navigate.

The visitor’s center is a must-stop location, as it gives you the history and context of the park and trails. Pipestone National Monument is a sacred gathering place for the Indigenous people who live in the area, and the rock from the park is quarried for pipes carved to be used in prayers and ceremonies. Throughout the park, there are areas where folks have tied pieces of fabric as part of a prayer or ceremony.

It was beautiful to walk past these prayer ties and imagine both the people who tied them, and the people they were done in honor or memory of. There is a weighted importance to these physical representations of prayer.

The visitor’s center does a good job of explaining the history and current present of the trail, and you can also see folks carving pipes from the rock in real time. It was fun to chat with the carvers for a bit!

There’s also a small gift shop for those who are interested. Growing up, my grandmother always had a braid of sweetgrass in her home, and ever since I was seven, I’ve always kept a braid of sweetgrass in my room. There is nothing I love more than the smell of sweetgrass – it reminds me of my grandmother and my childhood, and immediately makes me feel happy and grounded in my place in life. I looked around the gift shop for a braid of sweetgrass and didn’t find any, but I did find my new obsession: this sweetgrass candle.

This candle smells exactly like sweetgrass, with the addition of a clean scent of some sort. It’s a great combination, and has left my place smelling of sweetgrass, long after the candle has stopped burning. And, there is something about the wick of this candle that makes the fire crackle in a way that sounds like falling rain. The entire experience of burning this candle is extremely soothing, and I need a whole stockpile of these guys so I can burn them for the rest of my life. You can check them out online by clicking here if you can’t make a trek to Pipestone National Monument for them.

Just outside the visitor’s center is the start of Circle Trail, a short distance across the prairie before bringing you to an outcropping of pale red rock.

This is the coolest part of the trail in my opinion.

It was peaceful walking through this section, surrounded by walls of red rock that are sacred to the Indigenous people who live in the region.

There were lots of berries attached to vines cascading from the tops of the bluffs.

I didn’t eat them, but they were very beautiful.

Look at these ones!

This park is rated 10/10 for berries.

After walking through this rocky section of the path, you’re reunited once more with the prairie.

Just around the corner is a section of the path called the Oracle, which you climb a few stairs up to. From there, you can get a glimpse of the wooded part of the trail ahead, with the red rocks peaking through.

Here is where you can begin to hear the rushing water.

Just a few steps ahead is a small waterfall!

We love a good waterfall. This was a particularly serene part of the trail, and I spent a few moments here just enjoying the simple beauty of the space.

Around the bend is a rock arch you can walk through, taking stairs up to the top of the bluffs.

There’s a short loop along the top of the bluffs which takes you past a stamped stone from the J.N. Nicollet Expedition. There’s a plaque that tells you the expedition team rested there for three days. I’ve never personally stamped a rock after taking a three-day nap, but 1838 men were certainly different.

Anyway, here’s their stamped rock.

Even cooler than the rock was the view from the area.

This particular rock was called “Leaping Rock” which left me with a lot of questions.

From here, the trail opens back up into the prairie.

Look at that moon!

There’s also a small lake, which feeds into a river throughout the park.

This was another great reflective space on the path – it felt quiet and far away from anything else, with the scent of sweetgrass permeating the air.

After returning from Circle Trail, you can check out one of the quarries, though only authorized personnel are allowed in.

It was a short trip, but beautiful! I’d highly recommend visiting this park, especially if you’re looking for a trail that’s friendly for children or older folks who require a paved trail to walk. And also if you’re a candle enthusiast – check out the gift shop.

One more trail down, four to go to meet my goal!