Top attractions near Luverne, MN including Pipestone National Monument, Touch the Sky Prairie Unit, and Blue Mounds State Park
Whenever I thought about the state of Minnesota, the first thing that used to pop up in my head was downtown Minneapolis. The reason for that is simple: we spent 2 nights in downtown Minneapolis and we did a very informative trolley tour that included multiple stops along the way, including stops at the mighty Mississippi River as well as several other points of interest.
One of those memorable stops was the old stomping grounds of the Artist formerly known as “Prince”, when he was coming up in the Minneapolis music scene. It was so cool to see the club he performed in his early years and to walk the same streets he had walked on.
Prince was one of a kind. To me, he was the other incredibly famous solo black musician, with the other obviously being Michael Jackson. I grew up listening to both of their music, see them become global sensation, but with two very different styles.
I like both, but as a guitar player, I can’t help but be impressed by his mastery of the guitar especially his noteworthy, impromptu, live guitar solo performance on “While my guitar gently weeps”, as well as other multiple instruments. He was also immensely talented in many different fields of endeavor like athletics, filmmaking, and acting.
Prince has been forever memorialized in my mind thanks to one of my favorite Dave Chapelle skits featuring him imitating Prince. Those skits were absolutely hilarious!
It’s a shame both are gone, but their music reminds me of their immense talent and their ability to reach audiences powerfully, throughout the globe. Both will always be missed…
It had been well over 20 years since that trip to Minnesota, and my wife and I were fortunate enough to revisit the state on our return trip. Although we wouldn’t be going back to Minneapolis, or anywhere near a big city, we would be exploring the quieter parts of the state, while staying in a month long Airbnb rental in southwestern part of Minnesota in a town called Luverne.
With our bags unpacked, we used this Airbnb rental as our temporary home to explore the surrounding areas. Here are some of our favorite attractions near Luverne, Minnesota:
- Pipestone National Monument
Located in Pipestone, Minnesota, Pipestone National Monument is the site of Native American pipestone quarries that date back 3,000 years. The pipestones, which were quarried to make pipes, were used in prayers and ceremonies, and to this day, this tradition continues.
Whenever I hear about ancient peoples that inhabited these lands, it definitely gets my interest piqued. It was on my mind as soon as we booked the Airbnb rental in Luverne just 30 miles away from this national monument, and I had to check this place out the first chance I got.
So, on Friday the June 13th, we set out north. You might be wondering, what did we do on Thursday, after arriving on Wednesday? Why not go the day after arriving there?
As is usually the case, we went grocery shopping on Thursday, just one day after arriving in our month long rental. We went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, about 30 miles away to get that taken care of…
I love the idea of having the refrigerator and the pantry full with foods! It just feels sad without foods…
We took the US-75 route going north, then drove roughly 25 miles into the town of Pipestone. The small town, comprising of small stores selling farm related products and few restaurants dotted the landscape.
We pulled into shortly into Pipestone National Monument after few minutes. We stopped to take the obligatory picture at the entrance to the monument, then followed instructions to the parking lot/visitor center.
The parking lot was busy for a midweek morning, but we found a spot right near the visitor center. We walked inside to use their restroom facilities and to read up on the importance of pipestone & the end product, pipes, for the Native American peoples nearby.
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| The visitor center |
We headed outside shortly afterwards to begin our personal exploration. We found out there are two major trails at the park, both of which were both well under a mile each, so we decided to do both of them.
First up, Circle Trail, which is a .75 mile paved loop trail which leads to a waterfall at about the halfway point of the trail. Let’s go!
We started our hike (well, more like a walk as the terrain is flat for the most part) under the cover of heavy clouds. We didn’t mind that at all, especially during the summer months with temperatures that can range in the mid to high 90’s. We’ll take a little respite from the blistering sun any day in the summer…
The hike was beautiful, with plenty of open spaces with prairies surrounding the national monument. We found out later that American prairies are disappearing, so seeing one is definitely a treat. Prairies act as massive carbon sink, protect water quality, mitigate flooding, and support high levels of biodiversity.
We walked on, passing a smallish stream, then followed the trail’s path, coming to a set of stairs made of stone. Even here, the rock colors were the vibrant bronze, reddish brown reminiscent of the southwest.
We love these colors, and we were glad we were seeing them again after a couple of years (since our west coast trip in the winter of 2022-early 2023. Natural landscape on the west is so beautiful and amazing…
We climbed the steps, eager to get to the top of it to see what was there. We had taken this route by choice, as there were like 10 people right in front of us, trying to get to the waterfall. We figured we’d loop around from the left (and not continue on our right and follow those people) then see the waterfall bit later. The small observation area at the waterfall dictated that we give them plenty of time to see it first. We could just see it after they’re done…
The amazing rock formations awaited us once we got to the top of the stairs. The rock looked like it had been sculpted by a talented artist. Just awesome…
Even though the rock looked close enough to jump onto from where we were, we decided otherwise. We’re not in our twenties or even thirties anymore. Why risk a broken limb or worse trying to do something so stupid???
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| Amazing rock formation |
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| Fun to pass under this opening on a large rock |
We had our lunch right by that beautiful rock formation. The wind was blowing gently, the birds were chirping, and we were happy as a clam eating our prepared sandwiches while being immersed in nature, in southwestern Minnesota. What’s not to like here?
After finishing our lunch, we walked just quick 20 steps to arrive at the halfway point: the waterfall. Although it was small by Niagara Falls standards (how many are bigger than that anyway?), we still appreciated a waterfall, any waterfall.
We walked closer to the waterfall thankful of its amazing cooling effect the closer we approached. We stayed for awhile to relax, just listening to the sounds of the falls.
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| Waterfall, yeah! |
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| Walking between the boulders |
After several minutes of mental healing, we set foot, to walk the other half of the trail. We passed under an opening in a large rock then walked in between medium sized boulders. That led out to an impressive collection of medium to large sized, reddish rocks.
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| The Oracle, to the left of the sign |
We walked up a set of stairs leading up to the Oracle, a rock formation that resembles the face of a man surrounded by trees. This rock formation is considered sacred by some American Indians and many leave offerings there. Like the sign suggested, we didn’t go beyond the overlook boundary, but we got a good enough look at it from the overlook. Nice!
We came down the same stairs then marched on to wrap up this our hike of the Circle Trail. Next trail, South Quarry Trail.
From the visitor center, the South Quarry Trail was just left of it. We walked on it, and saw very cute furry bunny standing very still in the middle of the trail. As soon as we approached, it scurried around then quickly disappeared into the woods. Wow, he was fast!
Few hundred steps ahead, we saw an active quarry with few Native Americans actively working on the quarry. We found it fascinating to see them at work, using old school tools to move, chip away, and to eventually sculpt these pipestones into shape.
Very cool things to see at the Pipestone National Monument, especially if you like history and culture of different peoples.
- Touch the Sky Prairie Unit of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge offers visitors an opportunity to explore a rare native ecosystem. It contains an immense variety of grasses and wildflowers, and at over 1000 acres of pristine prairie, it offers visitors a walk to remember, walking among the disappearing prairie landscape.
It is estimated that over 99% of original tallgrass prairies are gone due to conversions and developments. It felt right to visit one before they all go away…
We left our Airbnb home, then got on the familiar US-75 going northwest. We arrived at our destination within 15 minutes thanks to no traffic (it is a small town) and driving distance of just around 10 miles.
The drive up there felt liberating after spending few days inside our home. Driving through farm country with their iconic farmhouses made the drive very enjoyable.
We took a left after 5 miles then drove on a secondary road. Luckily, the road was paved up to that point.
By the time we pulled into the Touch the Sky Prairie Unit, that paved road was no longer there. We were driving on unpaved, mostly dirt (some small pebbles) road. ***On a west coast trip to national parks/monuments/wildlife refuges, this is an all too common occurrence. Better get used to the dirt road and be prepared to replace your car’s engine and cabin filters, like we did (twice) during our trip!
We pulled into a small parking lot with no one around. We love the feeling of vastness, solitude, and being immersed in nature. We heard lots of bird calls, buzzing insects (luckily, not the biting type for the most part), and the soothing sounds of tallgrass swaying in the wind.
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| The small parking lot |
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| Wide open prairie |
We started walking the 2.4 miles out and back trail, To the Sky. The grass covered trail was easy to walk on, although there were some wet patches along the edges of the trail.
We made good progress as the landscape was very flat (elevation change of only 45 feet along the trail). We took plenty of time look around and to experience what it must be like to live on the prairie.
According to the signs posted at the beginning of the trail, there are wildlife around, even the bison! In fact, we saw what looked like bison dung, also called bison chips or meadow muffins.
The scenery was grand, although not quite like the dramatic scenery found in mountains, we still loved the serene atmosphere of the prairie. It sure felt like being utterly alone in a vast wilderness…
We made good time, and arrived at the waterfall within 20 minutes. Waterfall was small but hey, it’s still a waterfall. Any waterfall is a good thing!
We rested on the big boulder right next to the waterfall, and just listened for a while. Bird songs were intoxicating, while the gentle sounds of water made for a very relaxing time.
We wrapped up our exploration of this awesome wildlife refuge by walking back to our car. We highly recommend it if you’re near Sioux Falls or Luverne.
- Blue Mounds State Park
Blue Mounds State Park, located just 10 minutes from downtown Luverne, is a popular attraction nearby. It features a 100 foot Sioux quartzite cliff, bison viewing, and extensive prairie.
I had made plans to check out the cliff with its hiking trails, and to see bison up close, but unfortunately during our month long stay, the park was closed to vehicular traffic. We didn’t feel like walking around this huge park, on foot, so we decided to come back on our future trip. Bummer…
After reading about this park, this should be on the top of everyone’s list of attractions to see in southwestern Minnesota. It’s too bad we missed this one…
In conclusion:
All of our planning came together, and led us to this Airbnb rental in Minnesota. Although it took 3 days to get there, we would rather be well rested than be exhausted during our trip.
We’re definitely not in our twenties or thirties anymore, and we need to cognizant of our ability to drive long distances over several days. These days, we’d pay for extra hotel stays for our sanity, as well as for our physical health.
Those old days of driving 12+ hours is pretty much over. It’s better for us this way…Last thing we want is to feel so tired and cranky that we can’t really enjoy our trip.
Our cross country trip started nicely. We got to explore the area and to experience several top attractions along the way. I live for exploring!
Keep up with us as we explore the Great Plains and the west coast on our third major road trip since our early retirement. We are enjoying the ride, and we certainly hope you will too.
Thank you for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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