agate-fossil-beds | NE | Find park

The visitor center sits in the middle of mixed grass prairie.

From the Fossil Hills Trail the Visitor Center is a ship in a sea of prairie grasses.

Tipis and Fossil Hills represent the two subjects that Agate Fossil Beds interprets.

One of the first impressions that visitors have are the tipis and the Fossil Hills.

Summer storms include thunderheads and lightning and can be exciting and dangerous.

The Dinohyus was a scavenger, nicknamed "Terrible Pig"

Visitors stare in wonder at the huge head of the "apex" predator of the plains some 20 million years ago.

This buckskin shirt decorated with quills was worn by Red Cloud.

Visitors agree that this shirt decorated with quillwork and worn by Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota is a priceless piece of history.

Physical Address:

301 River Road

Harrison, NE 69346

Mailing Address:

301 River Road

Harrison, NE 69346

contact-details

Phone Number: 3086654113 Voice
Phone Number: 3086654114 Fax

Email Address: agfo_ranger_activities@nps.gov
Description:

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

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.

park designation:National Monument

Directions:

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.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating 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.

Visitor Center

Summer hours to Sep 30: 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. Please note Agate Fossil Beds is in the Mountain Time Zone.

Exceptions:

Winter Hours (October 1, 2024 - May 14, 2025)

Weather Information:

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.