Agate Fossil Beds National Monument • Nebraska

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

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

Thunderheads are common in July.

The Dinohyus was a scavenger, nicknamed "Terrible Pig"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two rangers motion in a welcoming way towards open door.

Top 10 Tips for Visiting Agate

"Plan like a park ranger" for your visit to Western Nebraska with these top 10 tips from our rangers.

Large fossilized creatures tower overhead inside the visitor center

Explore the Miocene

Agate is the world's leading source of full-skeleton specimens of Miocene mammals.

Beaded and quilled shirt in a museum display case

Preserving Lakota Heritage

The Cook Collection of Lakota artifacts will provide important context to any road trip through the lands of the Plains Indians.

Black and white photo of a gathering of American Indians and Cook at the Agate Springs ranch house.

Ranching on the Sea of Grass

Paleontologists and American Indians including Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota, American Horse came here to the Niobrara.

Last updated: June 14, 2024

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

301 River Road
Harrison, NE 69346

Phone:

308 665-4113

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected

National Fossil Day

Fossils and Paleontology

Cultural Landscapes