Best time to visit Pipestone National Monument
October is the best balance at Pipestone National Monument: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 59°F), with quiet crowds. July is busiest, with about 18,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 42°F. January, February and December see few or no visitors, so parts of the park may be closed: check nps.gov.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Pipestone, MN USC00216565
- Lat / lon
- 44.01, -96.33
- Elevation
- 1,705 ft
- From park center
- 0.1 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 22° | 27° | 40° | 55° | 68° | 78° | 82° | 80° | 73° | 59° | 42° | 28° | 55° |
| Low, °F | 5° | 9° | 21° | 34° | 47° | 58° | 61° | 59° | 50° | 36° | 23° | 11° | 34° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 28.6 |
| Snow, in | 6.0 | 8.8 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 39.6 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:14 | 10:24 | 11:47 | 13:23 | 14:43 | 15:28 | 15:10 | 14:00 | 12:27 | 10:55 | 9:34 | 8:54 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 81 |
| Crowds | Few or no visits | Few or no visits | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Quiet | Quiet | Few or no visits | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 5° | 0.7 | 6.0 | 9:14 | 412 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| February | 27° | 9° | 0.7 | 8.8 | 10:24 | 623 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| March | 40° | 21° | 1.5 | 5.7 | 11:47 | 1,800 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 55° | 34° | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13:23 | 3,300 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| May | 68° | 47° | 4.0 | 0.1 | 14:43 | 13,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| June | 78° | 58° | 4.5 | 0 | 15:28 | 14,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 82° | 61° | 3.3 | 0 | 15:10 | 18,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 80° | 59° | 3.5 | 0 | 14:00 | 13,000 | Busy | Hot |
| September | 73° | 50° | 3.3 | 0 | 12:27 | 9,800 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 59° | 36° | 2.4 | 1.0 | 10:55 | 5,100 | Quiet | Mild |
| November | 42° | 23° | 1.1 | 5.5 | 9:34 | 1,700 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 28° | 11° | 0.8 | 8.5 | 8:54 | 787 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| Year | 55° | 34° | 28.6 | 39.6 | 81,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 82°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 5°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 81,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Minnesota
Closures, reservations and alerts: Pipestone National Monument on nps.gov
Nearby
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