National Monument

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Midwest

About Agate Fossil Beds

In the early 1900s, paleontologists unearthed the Age of Mammals when they found full skeletons of extinct Miocene mammals in the hills of Nebraska -- species previously only known through fragments. At the same time, an age of friendship began between rancher James Cook and Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota. These two unprecedented events are preserved and protected here... at Agate Fossil Beds.

From the National Park Service.

Region: Midwest
State: Nebraska
Designation: National Monument
Entrance fee: None listed

Trail data for this park is still being added.
Places for this park are still being added.

Know before you go

Fees, hours, weather and getting to Agate Fossil Beds.

Entrance fees

The National Park Service lists no entrance fee for this park.

Hours

Trails

Open 24 hours a day, every day.

The park's two trails are open from dawn till dusk every day. Visitor Center features Miocene Mammal fossils, a 12 minute movie, and the James H. Cook Collection, a unique collection of American Indian artifacts that were gifts to James Cook and his family.

Weather and when to go

Summers can be very warm, high 90's to 100 with the frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Plan to hike early and come down from the higher points if storms threaten. Winter temperatures can dip as low as -20 with snow and wind. Heaviest snows can be expected in late Spring.

Getting there

From US 20: 22 miles south of Harrison, NE on State Hwy 29, then three miles east on River Road (paved) From US 26: 34 miles north of Mitchell, NE on State Hwy 29, then three miles east on River Road (paved). From State Hwy 71: 25 miles west on the unpaved portion of River Road.

Directions from the National Park Service

Contact the park

Address: 301 River Road, Harrison, NE 69346
Phone: (308) 665-4113
Email: agfo_ranger_activities@nps.gov
Official site: nps.gov/agfo

From the National Park Service, checked weekly. Fees, hours and road conditions change: confirm with the park before you go.

Trip planner

A day-by-day plan for Agate Fossil Beds

Tell us your dates and what you are into. We group the stops by where they are, so each day is one part of the park, not a zigzag.

Plan your park trip Free. No account needed.

Things to do in Agate Fossil Beds

The park service's own list, with how long each takes.

Daemonelix Trail

Hiking · about 40 min

Hike a one-mile trail back in time to the day of the paleocaster, a dry land beaver, and paleosoils, fossilized dirt from the time this landscape was formed. Look out over the vas…
Fossil Hills Trail

Hiking · about 1.2 hours

Hike to University (left) and Carnegie Hills. The 2.7-mile Fossil Hills Trail allows visitors to walk up to and see the famed early 1900s quarries. From these quarries, paleontolo…