Pipe Springs National Monument

Have you ever seen someplace on a map or heard about it and wondered what is there? Pipe Springs was that way for me. As a kid, I vacationed in the St. George area a few times and always saw this red dot across the border on the map in Arizona with the label "Pipe Springs N.M." I never ended up going there, but always wondered about it. Last week, I put those wonderings to rest and stopped by for a visit.

Pipe Springs is located on a Paiute Indian Reservation in a somewhat remote area of Northern Arizona. It's a small national monument that is a few buildings and a small museum. The monument was created to draw attention to the interface between the Indians, Mormons, and U.S. Government in the late 1800's.

The main building is "Windsor Castle", an old fort structure built right over the top of the springs. A few smaller outbuildings also remain.

The tour we took talked about life at Pipe Springs, showed us some furnishings dating to the time period, and also mentioned the telegraph.

Outside there were a few animals. These longhorns were pretty cool. We also petted a horse, chased some chickens, and watched some ducks.

Overall, it was an interesting stop, but in my mind it didn't quite live up to the expectations that I associate with National Monument status. I am glad I stopped by and found out what that dot on the map is.

Nearest City: Fredonia, AZ

GPS Coordinates: N 36° 51.754 W 112° 44.237

Time Needed: 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: Pipe Springs National Monument Website There is a $5 per person admission fee.