Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information Archives and Collections Unavailable

The Agate Fossil Beds National Monument archive and collections are temporarily unavailable for research or study. If you have a pending research request or have questions, please send an email to scbl_afgo_superintendant@nps.gov and the park will contact you.

Information No Fuel Services

Fuel up before visiting! Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is 30-50 miles from the nearest service stations.

Information Limited Cell Phone Coverage

Cell phone voice and data coverage is very limited in the park and surrounding area. Free visitor WiFi is available in the visitor center.

Overview

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

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Arts and Culture
  • Cultural Demonstrations
  • Astronomy
  • Stargazing
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Hiking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Trails: 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.

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.

Visitor centers

Weather

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.

Phone: 3086654113

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Tipis and Fossil Hills represent the two subjects that Agate Fossil Beds interprets.
The Agate Fossil Hills and Tipis · NPS Photo
Thunderheads are common in July.
A July Storm Passes · NPS Photo
The Dinohyus was a scavenger, nicknamed "Terrible Pig"
Dinohyus in the Visitor Center Fossil Diorama · NPS Photo
This buckskin shirt decorated with quills was worn by Red Cloud.
The James H. Cook collection · NPS Photo

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