REGIONS: SOUTHERN CAMPING, HIKING AND NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA By Sheila Regan At the Southwest corner of Minnesota, amidst a sea of tallgrass prairie and wind farms that line the Buffalo Ridge plateau, is the city of Pipestone, named for the pipestone deposits that have been quarried for hundreds of years by Native Americans, who use the red claystone for making ceremonial pipes. like human faces, and it feels rather magical to travel in and out of these giant formations. CAMPING AND BISON VIEWING AT BLUE MOUNDS STATE PARK The prairie at nearby Blue Mounds State Park has its own austere beauty, with its complex ecosystem of plants and flowers. The quartzite cliffs are quite impressive as well. FIND Approximately 100 bison reside in the park and, if you’re lucky, you might see them. The I recently went there for a hiking and camping herd may be visible from the bison observation mini-vacation. I’m not much of a camper, so deck, which has a spotting scope, or from the I brought along a friend who Western Loop Trail . We had a tent and skills around saw just a glimpse of the THE TRAIL HAS the campfire. We were both majestic creatures in the impressed by the beauty of distance. They take your A WINDING, southwestern Minnesota, breath away. where prairie bumps against TOLKIENESQUE FEEL, The substantial rocky cliffs. campground has PARTICULARLY ON HIKING AT PIPESTONE more than 70 drive-in THE PATH AROUND NATIONAL MONUMENT campsites as well as 14 walk-in sites to which WINNEWISSA FALLS. Pipestone National you can lug your gear in Monument has two hiking a cart. If you don’t have a options, and we were able to tent, you could opt to spend the night in one of do both hikes in one afternoon. The South the park’s two tipis . Quarry Trail leads through the working part of the quarry, and the quarrying sites had prayer flags marking them, hung from the trees that lined the path. The other hiking option is the magnificent Circle Trail , which has a winding, Tolkienesque feel, particularly on the circuitous path around Winnewissa Falls . The rock formations look For this Minneapolis girl, whose idea of visiting the outdoors generally means staying at a resort with 21st-century amenities, my camping trip was a robust success. The experience of taking in the vast elevated landscape and humming prairie country offered a sweet solace that I took with me back to the buzz of city life. 92 | EXPLORE MINNESOTA .COM
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2022 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 92
