pipe spring national monument

Cathy the Park Service person there, was most informative and knowledgeable. What an amazing place to see an interesting story. See how multiple families lived in the "castle" and imagine what a day in the life of the inhabitants of this land before and after the castle would have been like. The staff at the entrance are friendly, informative and helpful. So glad we stopped and went to see this. If you like history , and culture and the ways of life of people in history this is a must see and well worth the drive.

We were driving past and we stopped by in the rain right before closing, but the staff gave us a quick run down and let us walk out to the cabin. I liked learning more about the native people's point of view, and the history of the war. I would have liked to stay and experience a tour, but we were on a tight schedule. If you have a pass, worth the stop. If not, $5 per person.

Have driven by this so many times, decided to take a day and see it. We were not interested in knowing anymore about the Mormons than we already knew having lived in Utah for 21 years but this is told somewhat from the Indian's point of view and the tour guide was very informative and could answer any question. The fort is worth going thru and the museum but VIEW the 23 minute film 1st before anything. You could spend hours reading all the fascinating information in the museum if you like. Also, there is 1/2 mile hike above the fort with such magnificent views from atop. A couple of friendly horses and and 2 giant longhorn steers by the stables. Free if you have a senior pass, otherwise $5 for adult admission for the tour.

This was an interesting leg stretching stop on our way from Kanab to Las Vegas. Pipe Spring is located on the Paiute reservation and was used by the Paiutes for generations before it was claimed by the LDS Church and was developed as a tithing ranch, telegraph relay station and fort. Rather than money, church members often paid their tithes in cattle, sheep and various wares. These tithes were sent to the ranch where the titles were managed for the Church's use. Great quantities of butter and cheese were made here and sold in the neighboring communities. There is a museum displaying various items used by the Morman's as well as the earlier inhabitants of the area. Be sure to watch the 25 minute film. There is a 30 minute tour of the historic fort known as Winsor Castle. We had an excellent guide who is a Paiute tribal elder and grew up in the area. This has not only given him a great passion for the area, it has also given him a unique historical vantage point, combining scholarly research and a multigenerational family history. His knowledge of the region, as well as the cultural clashes between the Paiute's, Morman's and U.S government goes well beyond that of the spring. We were fortunate to have Benjamin as our guide.Additionally, there is a ½ mile Ridge Trail walk that takes you to an overlook for a view of the Fort and the Arizona Strip. On the day we were there it was windy and cold. We will save the ridge walk for the next time we are in the area and the weather is better.

On the way home from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon we saw signs for this National Monument and decided to stop and check it out. It is small, but nice. Took the informative tour. Originally it was a pioneer fort used by the Mormons. The tours happen about every half hour. Restrooms are clean and I enjoy shopping in the gift shop. Nice little museum too.

This my be the smallest National Monument we be to. I was informative however. Originally it was a pioneer fort.

not a big place but has a good history about the indians and mormons. they conduct tours several times per day and talk about the historical happenings. there is a 1 mile trail which gives you a good view of the plains. they have an orchard where you can pick apples and a garden where you can take what is ripe. there are two texas longhorns that have "long" horns as expected. you can get as close as you want.

We were driving from St George, Utah to the North rim of the Grand Canyon.The AAA Triptik routed us through Zion and Kanab (the scenic route), but, since we were going to be driving to Bryce and Zion after our Grand Canyon visit and seeing the scenery then and since that route is much more crowded, especially on a Sunday (when we were traveling), TripAdvisor experts on the forum suggested an alternate route so that we could incorporate Pipe Springs--they said not to miss it and I am so glad we didn't.It is always good, when taking a road trip, to stop every so often and stretch your legs and Pipe Springs offered us the opportunity to do just that.Because we had a cabin for only one night at the North rim, we budgeted ourselves an hour.It takes about twenty minutes to see the movie and another twenty or thirty (probably depending on how many are in attendance--the day we were there, it was only three of us) to check out the homestead. Add a few minutes to grab a quick snack, browse the gift shop and make a pit stop at the clean restroom and you can be in and out in an hour's time frame. There is more to see if you have longer and the rangers are very friendly and informative. The monument has two parts--the museum and the homestead.Ranger tours of the homestead start about every half hour and we had just missed one, so we sat down and watched the movie in the museum (which was blessedly air conditioned). It is a good idea to see the movie first--that way, you are already oriented to a bit of the history and have a better idea of what you will be observing on the tour.There is period furniture in the homestead, so you can get a real feel for what life was like for the early Mormons who lived here.And, there are plenty of great photo opportunities.I think the entrance fee is five dollars, but it was free for us because I just qualified for a senior pass.TIP--top up your tank of gas at the gas station on the corner on your way out--it is the cheapest gas you will find anywhere in the area.

Lovely little national monument. Keen staff. Tour of fort very good. Free fruit from orchard to eat. Well worth visit if passing this way.

This is one of those national monuments you don't hear much about, but is worth the stop in here, the staff is super friendly and willing to show you anything around the place, we got there early and they were feeding the livestock which was really neat, then opened up the fort really before the official opening time and showed us around, a lot of history here and they have done a great job of making the place look just as it did back in the day, garden growing and everything. All period furnishings in the main building, very neat to see how life was back then. They have done a great job of preserving history here, well worth the short trip from Kanab over here to see this!!

We had no idea what it was when we stopped - only that it was a "national monument." This site of a natural spring was a Kaibab Paiute Indian homestead, followed by a Mormon fort-ranch in the 19th century. A great place to learn history of both and the interaction between them. The best part of the attraction is that the National Park Service picks from top-rate historians to work their historic sites. They give the unvarnished truth - not an air-brushed version. Each staff person gave special attention to our daughter, who had a great time earning her "Junior Ranger" badge. The tour of the "Winsor Castle" Mormon ranch house takes 30 minutes, and the small museum can be managed in another 30 minutes. Very clean bathrooms and free water fountain. Our National Park Annual Pass covered the $15 admission fee here as well. A very good vacation stop in the middle of the desert.

Pipe Spring National Monument was named after a pipe through which spring water flows. In this desert area of Northern Arizona, that's a big deal to the early settlers. I found it ironic that the local natives freely used the spring water until the Mormans showed up, took over the land and built a fort around the spring so they controlled it. Interesting way to convert the local natives to their religion. The exhibits set up by the NPS and the local tribe was very good at explaining the history.

We ere thrilled that we finally had time to stop and visit this site. The guided tour was fascinating and our Guide was wonderful.

What a great place, we were on our way from the North Rim Grand Canyon to Las Vegas to catch our flight back home. Since we had some time, I said lets stop by and check out this place. Wow, there is a lot of rich history to learn here. My kids ages 5 and 6 were entertained by the tour outside as well as the animals and exhibits to the interactions they had with the Ranger inside showing them how to sew with an old singer sewing machine and stitching a quilt as well. We must have stayed about 2 hours and I could have stayed longer soaking up all the interesting information and getting additional information from the 2 Rangers working at the front desk which one happen to be a member of the Kaibab Paiute Indians were the spring is located. The Ranger that was doing the tour was very informative, especially about the Mormons and the American Indians who have history in the area. You won't be disappointed in going to see this place.

The National Park Service does a great job telling the story of Pipe Spring National Monument from the perspective of the Native Americans, and Mormon settlers. Be sure to watch the film at the visitor center which tells the history of the monument, and take the tour at the fort. We enjoyed walking around the property and taking in the beautiful vistas. We visited in the middle of the week in March, so the interactive demonstrations weren't available. However, we spent 2 1/2 hours. In the right season, one could spend the whole day here.