Reviews of Pipe Spring National Monument (Park)

Jenny Riddick

Beautiful place! The area was originally settled by the Kaibab Paiute Tribe and they, and the settlers that arrived in the 1800's, depended on the life-giving water of Pipe Spring. The fort was built directly over Pipe Spring which provided protection to the water source. The settlers in the 1800's had to have felt like they were truly blessed living there. The fort has several bedrooms, a telegraph room, a dining area, a "parlor," a kitchen, an atrium in the middle, and a view from the balcony that stretches a hundred miles! The Pipe Spring personnel have done a wonderful job of maintaining the monument, and are so knowledgeable, they bring what living there was like in the 1800's back to life! There is also a picnic area, and a couple of really cool long-horn cattle. Another "must see" in Southern Utah!

Sarah Hustead

It was a cool stop. Very interesting stuff to learn but you can not enter the fort unless you take a tour that is 45 minutes long. So plan accordingly.

Orion Parker

Pretty cool to see all the history. The staff was friendly and the experience was well worth the time.

Mark Puskar

Staff was great. They shared insightful stories of native american, Mormon, and their conflicts. The fort is really worth visiting.

Jess McConnell

Interesting piece of the Arizona Strip history. This is a fee site, but worth the visit.

Jerry Derwin

Excellent stop we had a great time and actually took in some true history. A National Park Ranger named Ben took some time teaching my grandchildren. Well worth the trip

Thompson Time

Amazing! Shares the history of the Kaibab Paiute Indians who have settled in this area for 8000 years, and how the Mormon settlers in the 1800s came and attempted to destroy the native way of life and control the resources of the area (the water) for themselves. There is a museum, original structures, a great hike, and a gift shop. Those who work here are very knowledgeable and friendly.

Herve Andrieu

Travel back in time... You're on the road between lake Powell and Bryce or Zion, so enjoy this little piece of history and take a break on your trip. The park is just off the road and you will discover how the original settlers in the area lived. How they had to wait for weeks for mail. I particularly enjoyed the guided visit of the fort showing different rooms with different themes. If you like history, you have to make a stop here.

Reynard The Fox

An out of the park that tells the story of the merman settlers and their families. The rangers are very nice and its worth a stop if passing by. We were going to skip this park on the way to the north rim of the grand canyon but were happy we didn't

Lincoln Murphy

Cool historical society, but a bit too sympathetic to the Mormon settlers.

Lenore Webb

Loved the guided tour.

Jonathan Jarvis

Great historical monument and the rangers there were excellent in their knowledge and stories of the history that happened there.

Matthias König

Very interesting Ranger presentation.

Mary Jo Hudy

Excellent volunteer guide.

Natalie Acheson

Outstanding national monument! We arrived just in time for the guided tour, it was volunteer led and well worth the time. Very informative and lots of great stories about this interesting piece of history. A very good junior ranger program and nice gift shop too.

Michael Finch

Beautiful National Monument

Margaret Rickards

Display was really good and informative but it once again showed the evil and cruelty of the white invader into native American land. In this case th mormons divine right. Very sad.

Mark Boyer

Small, but interesting park. Interestingly, the water is expected to run dry in about 10-15 years.

coMMand 003

Fascinating place! Wow. I wish i had more time to visit but i was only passing through and had to be somewhere else. But i am glad i stopped even if it was only briefly. The "fort" aka Winsor Castle is mind blowing. I recommend watching the documentary inside the visitor center before touring the historical grounds. It will provide you some background information that is helpful. If you love history this is right up your alley.

Preston Hon

Pipe is a great place to tour to learn about how the Mormon settlers lived and what they went through. As someone who has a personal family tie with the place through my wife's family I appreciate the care that the National Park Service has given the grounds and the fort itself. I hope it remains there for years to come and that they can find out how to keep the spring going.

Greg Giordano

The fort at Pipe Spring has been meticulously restored to its 1800's grandeur. Standing virtually alone in the desert of northern Arizona, it is not hard to imagine what life was like when Utah was struggling to become a state. Polygamy, which was outlawed by the federal government and the mainline Mormon church, was still practiced by offshoot groups. These polygamists would hide their wives and children at Pipe Spring so that federal officials, searching for evidence that polygamy was still active, would not find them. The fort and the buildings and structures on the nearby land, truly takes one back to a time either long forgotten or never taught.

Abbi Hunt

This place is a lot of fun! Kids can get their junior ranger badge and you can stamp your national monument passport. The history is interesting and doing the tour is definitely worth it since you can't see the fort without it. The tour is a little rough if you have young kids because they want to be running around not hearing about history. The Rangers and guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely with a look.

James Curtis

Really enjoyed this National Monument, the museum especially which emphasizes the history of both the native peoples and Mormons. The outside grounds tend to focus on the Mormons, the way they lived, the history of their incursion, and appropriation of the water. Although it would be nice to see more from the native perspective, this is worth the trip, and a very well run National Monument thanks to the rangers and all the volunteers.

chris eddy

Very nice park

Catherine Ruiz

Great place to stop and stretch your legs. The history on the spring was exceptionally interesting.

Liz Hicks

Stopped by while in the area, glad we did! Cool trail (and short), great volunteers and rangers.

Terri Nelson Dickinson

Underrated, but truly exceptional rangers and displays. Great for history buffs or a shorter day in between the big hikes.

BeckyAurora Thompson

A much better park than you would expect for the size. Hiking the Ridge Trail is absolutely worth it- just wish dogs could come, but at least they are allowed on the sidewalk to visit the rest of the park. Plan on visiting for about an hour.

Mirka Jezkova

Great experience. Unexpected but fascinating place.

Judie Pokakaa

I learned a lot here about the native Americans and the Mormons that lived in the area. I was happy the parl ranger was Mormon and Native American. She had a lot of knowledge that was passed on to her from her ancestors.

Rob Holcomb

Excellent history lesson here, life on the frontier was rough, but more peaceful than shownon TV. Walk around and imagine what it was like here.

Dave Cox

Historic and interesting space showing life of settlers around the spring. Many buildings and exhibits, massive steer and recreation of first people dwellings.

Joan Patton

This is such an amazing place. Passed several times but finally stopped and so glad we did. It’s amazing that building is still standing. And to see how the native Americans constructed it.

Jim Paton

A nice place to visit if you need a slow day.

Debra DeBartolo

we all loved the history here, worth stopping to see if you're in the area

Richard Cramer

Nice day trip from Kanab or Hurricane. Very nice tour with exvellent and informative guides.

Patricia Roberts

Wonderful find!

Rocky Lawter

This was so much fun! My kids loved walking around and seeing the fort and animals. The staff was knowledgable and friendly.

Jesse Richardson

Pleasant

smap99712

Historic watering hole and old Mormon fort.

Lori Oliphant

The people who were there were knowledgeable about the history and very proud of the history of the place. They were helpful and lots of during the tour.

Jerry Carpenter

Excellent lessons in Morman, Paiute & Federal history! Wonderful restoration & guide.

Aline Hardman

It has such an interesting history.

Dacey Haughwout

An amazingly well put together museum. One of the best I have been to.

Costa Haramis

Great place. Historical Mormon fort. Really helps the guests understand the Mormon trail and their historic plans to colonize the West. Well preserved and well done interpretive signage. Worth a stop when visiting Zion or the Grand Canyon, North Rim.

Chuck Huntting

Great place to learn about early Paiute and Mormon interaction. Spoiler alert: It didn't go well for the indigenous people. Take the walking tour. Rangers were outstanding.

Mischa Ballard

I am the Great-great grandson of Anson Perry Winsor...I hope to make it down to the fort in the near future. I will be sure to bring some of the family relics to share with the staff. :)

Mark Nuetzi

Historic fort along with narrative related to pipe springs. Our tour guide was absolutely knowledge and shared his knowledge with out group

D Berg

A true oasis in the high desert provides the background for a clash of cultures between the Mormons, Piautes and the U.S. government. Life has changed a lot since the late 1800s as the National Park Service guide was Piaute and descendents of the Mormons live with the tribe. The guide was a walking encyclopedia of information and she made the visit worthwhile.

Rod Biddle

Informative, well done presentation

Bonnie Musser

Historic and educational, a worthwhile visit.

Jake Weber

One of the best, off the beaten path, historical sites you can go to. You'll definitely learn something. Great tours as well.

Dawn Barkel

A very interesting place, recommend it to anyone.

Lily Kuang

Very friendly rangers. Very informative tour and video. I love it.

Sam H

Small, but beautiful National Monument located on the Paiute Indian Reservation, which is in the Arizona Strip, just 30 minutes west of Fredonia, Arizona. If you’re driving through from Cedar City or Kanab to Flagstaff, or vice versa, swing down to visit this beautiful National Monument!

Margaret Belle Mendoza

Great stop. Educational, interesting and wonderfully done.

Deborah Peterson

I had never heard of this National Monument, so glad we stopped. Very informative and a cute little area.

Mark Vaught

Very cool monument.

Mary L Ramaley

Nice historic place and museum

Norman Youngdell

Interesting story. Down poured while we were there.

S H Rawe

Worth a visit.

Diane S.

It is in a beautiful area. Our tour guide was outstanding with a good knowledge of the three cultures that came together at this spot and time. Sad how the Pauite Indians were treated by the white man, but they were granted some of their land to live on.

A poor young Shepherd

A small place which commemorates the history of the fight between Native Americans and new-settlers.

Robin Allison

Awesome place! They have a nice museum with great didplays & an interesting movie. The gift shop has a variety of items. They have the fort, with the spring and animals and a large garden...very nice people!

Dana Paul

It was very informative. We always enjoy these kinds of programs cuz we've done that many times before. Are wonderful ranger was native to the area and very enthusiastic. Even though we were just a small audience of two she presented her program is if we were 30 or 50 people.

D K

Great info free shows. Nice gift shop. Please donate any amount to help keep places like this open. Remember anything can make a diffrence. We were glad to have the opportunity to learn some good local info. Thank you!

Devony W

Nice little museum and living history type setting explaining life here throughout history.

Brandon Sexton

A great place to pull off the road and experience a piece of history. They offer guided tours and have living history demonstrations during the summer, there is something for everyone here. Also check out the gift store, they have a great selection of Native American crafts for sale.

Relaxing Flowers And More

It still has amazing places from the original time and the tour of the fort was excellent and informative.

Miles Lougheed

The rangers here don't get many visitors but they enjoy telling the story of the Mormons and the local natives here. Both are present here and get along very well. Watch the video in the exhibit hall first!

David Mackey

This made me question the criteria to become a National Monument. Just some pioneer buildings and a few Native American artifacts.

carl quinton

Had a ranger guided tour of the fort about 45 min long .

Dean Balzmi

Corey was an excellent guide with a great range of knowledge. I loved the taste of the spring

Linda S. Hammons

Had 2 longhorns you could walk right up to, film, museum gift shop, and old fort built over spring.

Dale Curtis

Very educational

Chad Cole

Interesting, rangers were very helpful and informative.

Yuval Baum

Unless you're into Mormons history it's not super interesting

Janette Allen

Interesting to see.

Tiffany Smith

Learned history of the national monument. Watch death valley days before going. It will help you understand the history of the fort a little better.

Corey Gibson

Amazing piece of History worth the 2 hour pit stop!

Cheryl Rupe

Very informative on the clashes between the natives, the Mormans and the park service. One of the best national monuments I have seen. I didn't realize how small the covered wagons were! Many examples of life in late 1800's.

Anita Warburton

Great tour including feeding the mules, roping the steer and branding the wood.

Clifford King

We pass by this monument quite often in the area but never stopped by until this last trip and boy are we glad we did! It's a National Monument about Mormon settlers on the Kaibab Indian Reservation. As a native Utahn, I found it incredibly refreshing to see a "Mormon History" site that is not interpreted through the Mormon lens. This is mostly from the view of the Kaibab Indians and gives a painful yet truthful history of the area, how Mormon settlers used control of water and cattle grazing to steal lands and essentially kill off a people. Tough history that is important and relevant today as Bears Ears is hotly discussed by local descendants of settlers and native Americans. It is worth taking the tour to hear all the details and seeing inside the fort. I really really am glad we went here and I actually have been recommending it to all my friends and family.

evelyn Timpson

Super fun and educational for all ages

Lorenz Mitterwenger-Fessl

Great place. We stayed over an hour and were well entertained!

Terry Shaver

Help out on a project. It was great and the people even better.

Dave Clark

Interesting, but very hot. I would recommended it if you have a National parks pass so you don't have to pay full price.

Ray Carlson

Very interesting. Nice museum. Staffed well. The gift shop is excellent. A really well kept historical site

Gilbert Haury

It's good for a bathroom break and a school field trip but don't go out of your way for it

Edye Weller

Such great history and information about the tribe....so interesting in the middle of nowhere....

Katie Van Dyke

This is only a few miles out of the way and Completely worth the stop. Fantastic tour of the house, great visitor center, garden, live animals, interactive exhibits. If you are close I highly recommend stopping.

Khays Atlas

A beautiful Park and it's more than about rocks, it's a people story !

Teresa Vaughn

Very interesting history

Christopher Brown

Great staff, nice monument. Worth a stroll around the trail (1mi, 30mins, not too hard), if for the view alone. Nice little garden, too.

Enrica Russell

Very nice and helpful park rangers. Interesting place.

Bill Joyce

This national monument is more about the history of the peoples than the natural world, but the natural world is important since the Spring was the only one for a long ways. Take the guided tour of the fort, check out the farming going on, including longhorn cattle. It does cost $10/person, so those of us with senior access passes, or others with annual or lifetime parks passes are happy to have them. Get gas at the station by the entrance, being on Indian land it has the best prices in the area.

Bruce Koppenhaver

Great Staff. Nice tour of home. Facinating history.

Jackie Fischer

campground is excellent , it is as clean as your home

Martin Lepold

Wonderful little park with lots of history about the Native American tribe that lived on this plateau and the Mormons who came later

Luke Frerichs

A nice, quiet, small national park. The staff puts on great interpretive events. Always an interesting stop.

Victoria Pulver

Park Rangers was very informative. Great guide.

Linda Hoernke

Wonderful museum and monument covers the history of the Native American tribes that lived here and of the pioneers that settled the area. The fort still consists of a working garden, a few cattle and horses. Step back in time to view the working and rooms in the fort. The museum is full of artifacts and stories of the people that lived here. Nice gift shop and clean restrooms.

Katie Canty

Fun side trip!

Bogdan Cojocaru

In the middle of nowhere we've met very nice people, including native Americans and we've found a piece of American history

Kristin Tompkins

Wonderful place to visit if you are a history buff.

Bill I

I really enjoyed my visit here to Pipe Stream. I was able to talk quite awhile to the rangers who were very informative. I learned a lot about the history of the area of which I knew very little. I would definitely recommend a stop here from anyone who is in the area and would like to learn some important history.

Koko Pop Rocks

Great little National Monument with a wonderful ranger tour about the area and history. Certainly worth a stop! Easily accessible and perfect for both young and old.

Jeremy Nolen

Very interesting historical Mormon Outpost preserved as a museum. Guided tour was very informative. Not far from Kenab / Jacob Lake if you're in the vicinity of the North Rim park.

Judy Hagemann

Fascinating part of history and sad in many ways. Too many reasons to go into on a review but if you are interested in American History you should go, preferably not in summer in the blazing heat, but still worth it.

Bryce Tucker

Great knowledge to learn! The tour guides are very knowledgeable, kind and are filled with interesting facts!

Hal W

Such an awesome place to visit & learn. Great staff!

Deems Family

The tour guide Autumn was very knowledgeable and full of wonderful information. Excellent place to visit if you love history.

Two Wheels

Interesting, but not really a must see. Good place to stop for a rest and check out though. Certainly not a destination.

Gery

We say this is a must fo visit. A place where the Indigenous people, the Latter Day Saints and the U.S. government collided. It is all there to see and feel.

Lee C

We found this national park by accident looking at the AAA map of Arizona. The guide (Cory?) was very knowledgeable, and because it was only the two of us, he catered to our interests. The spot is beautiful and peaceful and the buildings and grounds very well maintained. Everyone was so nice! Worth the trip.

Rustell LoManto

Such a pretty prairie location! I wish we had more time. The park rangers were helpful in explaining the history and answering questions about The spring and Windsor castle. If you have the opportunity to go inside be sure to visit it. The junior ranger program is a good way for the entire family to learn more about the history of the site.

Seth Parrish

This place has a truly top notch visitor center with some interactive history exhibits, a great video, and a happy staff to keep the place running. The history behind this monument is truly fascinating.

Jason Massey

Lots of history here. Do the fort tour as they explain a lot of the events that took place. Good birding too if you are so inclined.

Steve S

Decided to stop off while on our way to Kanab and we're glad we did. Some good history here, both of the Indians and the Mormons. Well kept grounds and beautiful surrounding scenery.

Joe Broderick

any history is good, the cost to get in here... be prepared to fork out some cash

Trent Ferguson

Interesting history about native Americans and the Mormons!

B

Excellent stop and an unsuspecting National Park. Out of all of our stops this was one of the most Wild West feeling Stops we actually saw. The Park Ranger telling the stories at the old house on top of the springs was very good and very passionate about her job. If you are driving down this road, it is a must see. You can spend as little as an hour here and leave like it was time well spent. JUNIOR RANGER program here too, for kids

Mark Ballerstein

Interesting place with good interpretive displays

Tom Strack

Excellent presentation on the history of the area and the spring and fort.

Elizabeth K

Nice park with good museum and movie that honor the history and conflicts of the past. Excellent castle tour. Fun for the kids to see the ranch, animals, orchards, & garden.

Alex L

This was a pleasantly unexpected surprise. Just a small national monument on the way to the Grand Canyon, but it is packed with things to do and see. The museum inside the building has plenty of high-quality exhibits and things to look at, and the fort and farm outside are awesome. There are even live animals. The staff is very knowledgeable and able to answer questions. Definitely worth a visit with the family.

Eric Turnquist

Fun place to learn about history in Southern Utah.

Jay A Watterson

Small fort and grounds was interested in to learn the history of the native Americans and the Mormons here. Winter they close at 5pm

Paul Socie

We were so amazed to hear the history of Pipe Springs and the stories of fact told to us by the Rangers. What a wonderful place, thanks to all who work so hard to preseve such rich history.

Anna

Take the free guided tour that comes with your admission, it's really really good.

aFrancis Larrivee

Nice historic site Has a movie explaining the area and history of the fort

C Kjar

Interesting place. More emphasis is on Mormon settlers than Native Americans who lived there.

Juliann Murphy

Not what I was expecting at all. I assumed that the Pipe Spring was some kind of rock formation, wasn't even thinking that it was an actual spring! The tour guide was awesome. If you get there when they are offering a tour definitely do it, very informative and interesting. The museum is also very well done. However, the best part to me was the short hiking trail. It takes you to incredible views, you can see for miles in all directions. Lots of placards along the way describing the plants and some other info.

Dave Shultz

The National Park Service does an excellent job giving tours here. They explain not just the history of Pipe Springs but delve into the co-existence of the three groups that relied on the springs. The Paiute Indians, the Mormon settlers and the US Government. Ranger Kait, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable in all aspects of life in this remote location. She explained the political and religious ramifications for the Native Americans and the Mormons. The tour is given at the top of the hour and if you have extra time, there is a great 20 minute film to watch as well as the artifacts in the visitors center. Take the time to walk the Ridge Trail behind the museum. The views are spectacular.

Christian Smedberg

Decent little national monument, very informative. We were not able to go into the fort because we weren't their during a tour.

Jenessa Hon

My grandfather was born in the fort while his family was taking care of the grounds so it's a great family learning experience. There's lots to see and learn both with the tour guide and on your own. They have done a great job with upkeep of the fort. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a great story teller! Only suggestion is to put some sort of caution/warning on the outside steps to the fort as they are varying in size and can be difficult to differentiate as they are sandstone and all the same color. There was an incident exiting the fort with an elderly patron due to this issue.

Ken and Alicia Lund

An often-overlooked historical site that is very well preserved and very interesting. A lot of information about the settlement of this harsh, but beautiful, area.

Michael Ciurea

You'll have tours ever half hour that will explain everything you'd like to know about the land and its inhabitants. Nice stop to make if you're driving through the area and want another stamp.

Andy Buchanan

Very interesting visit. Narrations from Rangers were very informative and interesting about how the Mormans, Native Americans and US government attempted to coexist. Very nice gift shop. Well worth the time to visit if you are between St.George and Kanab.

Jenny Armstrong

Great guide who gave us an excellent representation of life for both the settlers and Indians. Definitely well worth the stop.

Sharon Morris

Gorgeous national monument. Completely worth visiting of you are out this way. Very informed individuals who lead the tours.

Daniel Lowe

Another memorial to lives lost in the Mormon quest to conquer the southwest.

Danielle Allred

The kids had a great time. The history of the fort is interesting, the buildings, gardens and livestock are all great. Definitely do the Junior Ranger Program with your kids- they will learn, have fun, and earn a Junior Ranger pin.

Bruce Laverman

Don't miss this historic treasure...wonderfully preserved

Keith AURICH

Wife's ancestors built it.

Martina Marty

Interesting history

Dotty Rickards

Great staff and volunteers at this location. Learned some interesting history and got a great posed picture from a friendly chicken.

Phil Trivilino

This place is awesome. A natural water spring flowing from the side of the mountain is what brought a tribe of Kaibab Paiute Indians to this area and gave them life in the dry desert conditions. It's all about the water. The National Park Service oversees this monument that is owned and operated by the Paiute Indian Tribe that lives here. There is a nearby gas station and RV Campground as well. Not much for cellular service in the local area, but is spotty and usable to some degree.

Kfir He

Amazing

Alaina Swartzlander

Tour guide was great. Learned so much!

Carl Schultz

Really great place. Recommend it to anyone else who might be in the area.

Mike Tillmans

Beautiful location, interesting history.

M. Q. Smith

Pipe Spring NM is located near Fredonia, AZ about 45 miles east of Hurricane, UT. It showcases the conflict between the local Kaibab Piaute Indians and the arriving Mormon settlers (1850's) and their struggle for water. For centuries, Pipe Spring was a life-saving oasis for the native people of the northern Arizona strip (north of Grand Canyon). With Mormon settlers building a major settlement for massive cattle operations at Pipe Spring, the struggle for water intensified. The museum on-site tells the story of the people who used Pipe Springs in order to survive: the Ancestral Puebloans, the Kaibab Piaute Indians and the LDS Mormon settlers. Also located here is the historic Winsor Castle (inside tours available on the hour), built as a defensible fort for protection. Constructed in 1872, the fort was built to sit directly over Pipe Spring. Anson Winsor (the fort subsequently became known as Winsor Castle) was appointed by Brigham Young to operate the massive LDS cattle ranch along the northern Arizona strip.

Michelle StClair

What a nice surprise. Driving past and decided to stop. So glad we did, very interesting and our tour guide Benn was the best!

Sarah Spears

This is a great hike. Short but breathtaking. Beautiful history and working farm

ibbarb

It's ok great video on it

Paul Dickinson

One of the nicer national monuments. Awesome staff, nice junior ranger programs

Ahava Goldwater

We loved the views, and the cactus display couldn't be beat!