Summary: Excellent interactive day at this gem of a center. The staff were were very helpful & super excited to drive awareness of the important & interesting Native American history in the area. Go on the interactive short hike to walk amongst the petroglyphs. Best time of day is just when sun is setting to get the right angle when the petroglyphs pop into sight. Fun for kids to try and find as many petroglyph treasures as they can. Fair amount of families visiting at the time! Be prepared to remove shoes so you don't impact the ancient carvings. The staff will spray water to help highlight them for you. Ask lots of questions about the historians removed the lichens from the rock to reveal the petroglyphs! read more

Three of the sweetest people work there. Very enthusiastic. It's a small gift shop/museum, but very cool with things the kids can touch. You will not be impressed without a guide. And for a group of 7, without us asking used golf carts to ferry us out to the site on an 85° day. You are not allowed to walk out in the rocks except for the areas they designated, so your guide will walk barefoot with the spray bottle and spray the carvings and explain what they are. There are also signs showing you where the carvings are, but you won't be able to see them depending on the time of day or how wet the rock is. My 12-year-old son said "it was kind of cool and kind of boring." I think that sums it up. You won't be able to stay long, but if you use your Minnesota history pass, it will be free! Plenty of parking, bathrooms, drinking water, wide open spaces. read more

On a recent road trip I stopped at the Jeffers Petroglyphs, "The most underrated tourist spot in Minnesota." I disagree; I found the petroglyphs underwhelming. The ONE figure that they use in their literature is practically the only recognizable one there. To be fair, I visited midday, and they note that the petroglyphs are more visible early or late in the day when the angle of the sun is low, casting shadows. Still, there are several other good reasons to come here. First, you have to get off the freeway, and the drive here on small state and county roads gives you a great idea of how rich and vast southern Minnesota farm country is. Second, the wildflowers and grasses are mesmerizing. The swishing, rattling sound of the wind through the vegetation here gives you a strong sense of this unique piece of prairie. The best part for me, however, was standing on an outcropping of the 1.6 billion year old Sioux Quartzite (some of the oldest rock on the planet!) that bears both fossilized sand ripples from its origin as seabed AND glacial striations. It was so moving for this geo-geek that I nearly wept. read more

This is a must see when coming to Minnesota. It is not too far from Minneapolis (~ 3 hours drive). The petroglyphs are ancient carvings. The oldest carvings are from ~10,000 years ago (older than the Egyptian pyramids). The most recent carvings are ~500 hundred years ago. I was truly amazed at the diversity of Native peoples (from Oregon, the Southwest, etc) that came through the location and carved out symbols. The guide mentioned a famous Native American who came and prayed for guidance during one of the many struggles between the European American settlers and the Native peoples. The guide we had was awesome, so I really recommend waiting for a tour guide. The tour guide will walk you through some of the most interesting petroglyphs (which are initially hard to see). This location is considered a sacred place for many Native Americans, so they ask you to be respectful to the location as you would a Church, Synagog or Mosque. Tip: We came in the fall after labor day weekend. According to the website, they are closed after labor day. We called and they were open anyway. Just double check. Also, they said that if they are closed, you are welcome to walk through the sites anyway. However, if you come when the interpretive center is closed, try to come around sunset so that the carving stand out better. Tip 2: This place is only 1 hour and 30 min from Pipestone National Monument (you should check out both of them). read more

This is an entertaining and educational visit. First off, wait for the 45 minute (30 minute of its sweltering 94F in July) ranger guided tour every half hour. They can give you a golf tour ride out (they are well staffed with three rangers) if needed. Unless you came at dawn or dusk it's difficult to see the petroglyphs. Noon is the worst time to come. The ranger who guided me (Amy) was extremely helpful in pointing out the petroglyphs. She added more information than what you can read on the guideposts throughout the trail. She is also allowed to walk on the petroglyphs and spray water on them making it easier to see them. I've been to the Petroglyph National Monument (and many others). No guided tours. And you certainly don't see spraying of water to make the petroglyphs more visible. This was a first for me. Secondly, ask to throw atlatl at the buffalo foam sculpture! Super fun. The gift shop is small and lacking. More on the books side. I'd like to see more crystals and some guidance on healing properties of the stone. Yes, it's $8, but for how sacred this land is and the quality of this facility I highly recommend it. read more