Reviews of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (Park)

Cee D'vie

It was small, clean, and enjoyable. The Rangers seemed happy, passionate, and always willing to answer questions. The museum is half fossils and half cultural. They have a very nice collection of both, though the fossil collection is well organized but a bit small. The story behind the site is very interesting and special, and if you're in to history you'll want to watch the short movie and explore the cultural side of the museum.

Chris Bloomfield

It’s a great National Monument to check out. It only took us one day to hike both the trails and explore the museum. We saw horned toads on the trail! Plus the kids found a complete fossilized tooth! (Remember leave all fossils where you find them)

Demuri Moreno

I love any National park or reserve. They are so fun in learning and such. My son was sought out right away and was made a junior ranger..."ranger danger" as he calls it :) was clean and friendly people. Bring a jacket by the way!

Peter Moore

The staff and volunteers at Agate Fossil Beds NM had the challenge of a lifetime--having the whole world descend on them for the solar eclipse--and they handled it beautifully. They were super organized, friendly, guided everybody into place, provided absolutely everything we needed, and allowed us to concentrate on the spectacular sky show. And the monument itself was gorgeous and fascinating, when we weren't staring at the heavens! Most highly recommended!

Jenn Wood

This was a great find (pun intended). Friendly and helpful ranger. Movie and exhibits are informative and interesting. We hiked the shorter trail and enjoyed both the view and the fossils.

Christy Young

I love the Cook Exhibit- original people items given to Mr. Cook. The hikes are short and easy but watch put for rattle snakes. Neat post-dinosaurs exhibit of prehistoric ecology.

Bob Wise

I've been to most of the national parks in the US mainland, this is not one of the exciting ones, but still in a unique area to see if your in the area or passing thru, I wouldn't plan a trip around it..

Terrelyn Greszler

Gorgeous!

Catherine Gillis

Very interesting. It's good to learn something new every day.

Craig Klatka

Worth the drive for us

Philip Eckerberg

Small park, but it has several miles of hiking trails and interesting displays.

Janet Germer

Loved the Indian history

Lori Hart

Very interesting, a beautiful hike!

Lois Butler

The fossilized skeletal remains of animals we never heard of was interesting. Our grandson also earned his Junior Ranger badge.

Jason Gilmor

Nice but not allot to see, or do. It was free. If your a palentologist this would be awesome

Ted Lapis

Enjoyed our visit after the 2017 Eclipse. The staff were friendly, and well prepared for the once in a lifetime event. The American Indian artifacts are especially wonderful!

Brenda Weslow

Great place to visit

Brian Mitchell

Awesome. The park rangers we met were outstanding and very generous with their time. The gentleman working at the visitor center spent as much time with every kid as they wanted and answered every question in a super informative way. He really knows his stuff but better than that he has a great heart. My grandkids loved the hikes, museums and the video. Thanks to all who made this a great day.

Scott Lakeside

Rhinos and Beavers and Beardogs, oh my! This is a small, fossil-oriented park. It is known mainly for it’s mammal fossils from the Miocene Epoch, including “beardogs”, gazelle-camels, horse relatives with claws, early rhinos and “terrible hogs” with bone-crushing teeth. But it is perhaps best-known for a smaller mammal: a relative of beavers that made spiral-shaped burrows called “devil’s corkscrews” or “daemonelix”. Near the entrance of the park, there is a one-mile long trail where you can see these fossilized burrows where they were discovered. At the visitor center, there are museum-like displays of the creatures found in the park’s rocks. Entrance to the park is free and it is generally uncrowded. The day we visited, a warm morning in July, there were maybe a dozen people at the visitor center. Even if you’re not into fossils, you can explore the shortgrass prairie in relative solitude.

Mark Boyer

So very interesting! An added unexpected bonus ours the James Cook collection. That collection is such a treasure!

Jessica Meyers

Beautiful location, interesting history, and very friendly park rangers.

Emmanuel De Leon

Amazing American History!! Knowledable staff and....it's FREE!!

Keith Olson

Nice little place in the middle of nowhere. Not a lot here. Well managed.

Bryce Caster

One of the best-preserved fossil collections in the country lies in a remote section of Western Nebraska. If stopping by, make sure to visit the museum first.

Alan Hanna

Wonderful fossil collection and wonderful Indian artifact collections. Well worth the visit.

Mary Blocker

It is a very interesting site of our ancient history. There are 2 trails - 2.7 and another that's a little over a mile.

Sanford Ader

Great experience

b p

Very interesting place to visit. Take a couple of hours to half a day to really appreciate.

Kathy Hough

Informative

KK Little Thunder

Friendly people, interesting exhibits! Big thanks to Emmanuel!

Theo Van Hof

Absolutely beautiful

Ben Bradley

This national monument showcases the beauty of the Great Plains with accessible hiking trails and great interpretative sights. My visit came towards the end of a grand tour of Nebraska, serving as one of the highlights of the whole trip. The staff are extremely nice and helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to visit Agate again.

Donelle Smith

Great for a family day trip!

Not Sure

I didn't know about this place until I was about 20 miles away. So glad I stopped in!

Mr. TT

Agate is really worth stopping by if its on your way (or even worth changing some lanes ;) ). We went there to see 2018's Solar Eclipse and stuff was very helpful and kind. Apart from seeing the amazing space-event, we found the fossil bads as a great place itself and have a touch of an ancient world of animals which were living here thousand of years ago! Just great!

Connor Carlbom

Great little National Monument tucked away here. Informative hiking trails and a wealth of information in the visitor center.

Pepper Roberson

Must stop

Barb Pierce

Wonderful stop with interesting history. And it's free.

Dan Krueger

Fantastic trails and great display of Native American items.

Andrew Carroll

Love the NPS. These fossils are awesome. Great trails and wonderful rangers. It is out of the way but worth it.

Laura Witt Chandler

Historical and fun for the kids!

Aubrey ED

Enjoyed watching the movie and exploring the trails. The visitor center had a great Native American display.

Chad Churchill

Fun NP with lots of history information

Chip Atkins

This an amazing place. A true hidden gem. Worth the drive.

Justin Davila

My son got his first Junior Ranger Badge! The rain was cold but the trip was worth it.

Nikki chapman

Very interesting and beautiful

Carol Kathrein

Nice history lesson

Kim Wilson

This is a very nice indoor facility with plenty of educational stations and displays. You could easily spend at least an hour inside going through all of the information. The staff is very friendly and informative. There are a couple of outdoor walking trails but we didn't use them. There is no cell service in the area however the facility does have wifi.

Amy Frederick

This is my favorite NM that I've seen so far. It was clean and well organized. The park rangers were really nice and friendly. The paths are well maintained and the area is beautiful. The walk to the beds was very peaceful and enjoyable, all of the beautiful flowers, birds and insects made it all that much better.

Tina Carlile

Fossil beds were a 3 star, but the collection of Indian artifacts in the visitor center is priceless!

Colette Rosenau

Maybe would have been a good place. We went inside(which was a big mistake) the ranger on duty met us at the door. Didn’t get a chance to look around he kept following us and talking about the park. BUT he smelled so bad we couldn’t stand it. Greasy hair n smelled like cigarettes really bad. He said he was transferred from teddy roosevelt Park. In my opinion they should have kept him!

Mitchell McManis

This site has a great museum with Indian artifacts and explanations of the fossil beds. The hike up to the fossil bed was beautiful, but it was ended prematurely by a rattlesnake. We hope to make it back, soon!

Stan Zimmerman

The displays in the center are very nice as is their movie. The walk to the hills is not that good.

Anne Wilson

Awesome exhibits of Miocene Epoch mammal fossils and an amazing Native American artifact collection.

Mahala Clivaz

Well maintained exhibits of fossils and excellent exhibits with fantastic, fascinating information and history.

Ronald van den Tol

(Translated by Google) Nice fossil finding place, very well exhibited. Small but interesting walks to the sites (Original) Mooie fossielenvindplaats, erg goed tentoongesteld. Kleine maar interessante wandelingen naar de vindplaatsen

Karl Yoder

2017 eclipse was phenomenal! They did an excellent job preparing for the large crowd which came, and everything was excellent! Kudos to the entire staff.

K Kidder

Great visit! Science nerdvana!

David Meyer

Sadly, this place is a bit out of the way, and probably doesn't get nearly the visitor count it should. The information and the presentation in the visitor center is simply outstanding. The Native American artifacts are amazing, and I say that as someone who finds pottery and weaving boring stuff. I'm telling you that if you go here, you won't regret it.

Kevin Kathmann

VERY out of the way place. However, it was on the way on our route to Scotts Bluff national monument. Well worth the stop if in the area.

Lily Padilla

Definitely neat to visit however dont expect dinosaur fossils because there isnt any. These fossils are from a more recent time to us.

SamieLyn Horton

My daughter became a junior ranger and we learned a lot

Lena Johnson

Excellent displays. We managed to catch the staff as they brought out pieces from the collection of the rancher who discovered the site, and got to touch and handle them (with gloves, of course). Don't neglect to check out his collection on display. It is absolutely stunning and filled with incredible treasures gifted by Native American visitors back into the late 1800s. So much history in that room.

Nick D.

Great find in the middle of nowhere

Matthew Maynard

The ranger was super helpful. The kids had a great time doing various activities there.

Lori Rodaway

Great visitor center and cool junior ranger badge!

Jake Miller

Very interesting and informative place. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, a lot of walking

Larry Stratton

Nice 4 mile hike to two of the fossil sites.

jackie holler

Great place to visit!! Rangers very interesting and helpful

Elizabeth Smith

Staff very educated and helpful. Great plains Indian artifacts.

Michael Archuleta

The staff at the visitor center was incredibly rude

Ken Mackin

Absolutely amazing, has an awesome museum and gift shop

Steven Lee

Awesome park. The hiking trails are nice.

Gabe Hansen

Cool, good hikes

Andreas Wilderer

Great place. Happy we visited.

Aaron Maass

Drove almost 4,000 miles (round trip) to see the 2017 total solar eclipse here. It was perfect. Truly a once in a multiple-lifetime experience.

Erin McDowell

Friendly rangers, good exploration/education for kids, we saw a couple live bull snakes too

Harold Roller

Great

Ullman Mitchell

Long drive for limited fossils

barb mccarty

So much fun to see a child light up with joy including myself great stopping place

Scott Cooper

It's a great park tucked in a remote part of the Nebraska panhandle. Most times we visit and there are just a handful of people. We went here, though, to view the '17 eclipse and it was cah-razy full of people. Had a great time, though. It's a nice walk on both sets of trails, the longer one starts from the visitor center and the shorter one is back near the entrance to the park. I highly recommend stopping here if you're in the area.

Stan Smith

Who would think that a place this remote would have so many helpful rangers all in one place? It's obvious y'all enjoy your work and the entire display was very informative!!!

Andrew and Morgan McAllister

Very friendly and helpful rangers. Took the time to explain things to us, thoroughly. Great trail to see the Daemonelix (not sure on the plural form).

Anthony Mincu

Hidden treasure, part of National Park system, incredible scenery, fascinating history, well deserving of a stop while in the neighborhood.

Tyrone Lee

Great out of the way site showing the history of Western US paleontology. It's not the biggest monument but a great place to relax and take hike and take in the open hills and cliffs. Keep your eyes peeled for horned lizards and prairie rattlers.

Erin Waters

Dull

Scott Hageman

Took my son there recently and we both enjoyed the displays of history and animal life from thousands of years ago. It's not crowded so the ranger took plenty of time with us to explain the land and how it was formed along with the native people and their culture.

David Adair

Great place to see very old dinosaurs.

Kevin Carlson

Very nice. Newer and bigger than we imagined.

Courtney Klataske

Nice hidden get away. Not far from scottsbluff. Nice walking paths, interesting history in the museum.

Cammie Britz

It was Closed by the time I got there

Carolyn Sanders

Great museum with interesting prehistoric artifact displays. They also have an interesting Native American section as the former ranch owner was a friend of Red Cloud. They have hiking trails and a nice small bookstore. They have a picnic area, also.

K. B. Kidder

Had a great time! Beautiful plants and scenery.

Richard Grumm

Nice place 20myr old mammals. Nice hikes and shaded picnic tables.

Ed Blaszkiewicz

If you're into that sort of thing

John White

Awesome dinosaur bone exhibit.

Bob Crouse

Interesting to see how many animals were found in this one spot. I did not have time to walk the two miles out to The dig. I thought it was especially fascinating seeing the spiral tunnel that one of the prehistoric ground dwellers made.

Jamie Shenkel

Neat place! Prepare for walking and watch for snakes.

Adam Bentley

This National Monument's visitor center is divided between fossils and Native American artifacts. For us, the Native American section was by-and-far the more interesting of the two. The video was very informative about the history of the fossil beds. We wished we had more time to hike some of the trails available.

hypnotherapycw

Put more of the Red Cloud collection out!!! Ps... Mahpia Luta Canupa and other regalia like no where else. Lakota Oyate go see!!!

Carissa Scheel

It is amazing and free and a lot of fun!!!! Take a lot of people with you and you will have more fu!!¡

Liz L

A well worth stop in a remote area with little traffic, wise to have plenty of fuel in your vehicle. Limited cell coverage. No camping. Free. No food sold but coin-operated soda machine & water filling stations. Ample parking, picnic area, and a real cool museum where one can view mammal fossils and a collection of Native American artifacts. Two walking trails and the view of High Plains Mixed Grasses is endless.

Sam Jaurigui

We really enjoyed the little walk around!! And there's tons of horned lizards!!

Daniel Bigg

Kinda boring!

John Van Abbema

Not as expected

Amy Bandle

Wonderful stop! Park rangers were so nice and helpful.

Michael Young

Great museum, easy hikes to fossil sites, main one is paved entire length.

Jessie Piper

Best last minute decision we've ever made. What an amazing place. You'll see things you can't see anywhere else. DEFINITELY ADD THIS TO YOUR MUST SEE LIST...

Gallen Phillips

Saw the solar eclipse at this national monument. The staff planned activities and developed an informative program.

Harland Schuster

NPS does its usual great job here! Be sure to stop at the visitor center for displays and watch the movie.

Robert Pettinger

Cool fossils

Cameron Kruger

Historically interesting site that was integral in the development of paleontology. A place of quiet natural beauty.

Adam Zaborski

(Translated by Google) Fantastic if someone likes paleo-archeology with its excavations (Original) Fantastyczne jeśli ktoś lubi paleo-archeologię z jej wykopaliskami

Bryan Balvanz

A little out of the way, but a gem. Ranger Carley was very helpful and energetic. My 3 kids learned a lot.

bill sylvis

Good history and knowledgeable staff

fhollis fhollis

Nice place to visit

Jeroen Tahey

Small but okay

John Bianchi

We saw the Great American Solar Eclipse there and it was awesome. They were very well prepared to direct all the traffic, get everyone parked, and they even had tons of safe eclipse glasses for everyone that needed them. Awesome staff and beautiful area. We didn't do a lot of hiking there. I don't think they have really long trails.

Ashley Struble

Love the scene

Mandy Kirby

Great displays. Very informative staff

Emily Edwards

Absolutely fascinating and one of my favorite National Parks I’ve ever visited. The drive was long and this park is literally in the middle of nowhere. Make sure to gas up before you head to it! Take time to explore inside and outside, and talk to the rangers! I learned so much I may have never learned otherwise. On top of the interesting fossil history, make sure to check out this extensive collection of Native American artifacts on display here.

Spider Sillery

There are two paths to walk. One is about 1.1 miles and the other is 2.8 miles. The Rangers at the Visitor Center was very informative. There are cool relics, fossil replicas, and a 12 minute movie to inform you about the National Monument area and history. The park had some cool sites along the hike. Good for families. There is also a Junior ranger program for the kids. You must be observant for rattle snakes as they can be found. We did not see any but a man who finished the first trail 5 minutes before us saw one.

Jim Miller

Most interesting and educational museum in Western Nebraska . Excellent parking, cabins your can rent, motor home parking and miles of walking trails available. Definitely encourage anyone to visit and/or stay the day, week, night in the cabins and learn of the area's prehistoric past and/or native American history to that area. I could easily spend a month there! Park Service has done wonderful job and each year they do more. Make it your destination!

Shelly Thiry

Alvis the park ranger was so kind, knowledgeable and patient with our 2 homeschool families. We enjoyed the exhibits and trails. Definitely Gods country.

Steven Croom

Went here for the Great American Eclipse viewing. What a great place! The staff ran the event and managed the crowd and event wonderfully. The park was clean, well organized and full of interesting fossil/geological information about the area and the site itself. I hope that all of our National Monuments offer the service and cleanliness of this park. It is worth the time is visit this place. We had a fantastic experience here.

Trese Briggs

Watched the solar eclipse. Great spot!

Kim Barber

Awesome!

Matthew Gall

Not a bad place to visit but wasn't my favorite part of our trip.

Linda Nelson

Wonderful displays, fascinating info, and nice hiking trails. I hope to get back, to try more hiking

Jonathan D. Carlson

Was really disappointed that the 12 minute informational video had already been "shut down" 20 minutes before the visitor center closed so we weren't able to see it. The staff seemed in a hurry to leave.

Ed Sullivan

The visitor center has a great deal of information

Jennifer Ragulsky

Not a lot to do or see.

Rachel Roush

Beautiful place with excellent walking and photography opportunities. Staff is friendly and the exhibits are one of a kind.

C GD L

Good. It's Nebraska. So.. ya know.

Terry Wittgren

Neat and fun

Rick Bishop

Came for the eclipse, but I will be back to enjoy and explore the grounds. The staff there did a fantastic job on 8/21/17 handling the throngs of people and they were very welcoming and pleasant. Great job National Park Service and thanks to all of the volunteers from Northwest Nebraska!

Joe Vandegriff

Too hot to hike out to the sites on my visit. The trail is 1 mile round trip. The path is easy walking but has no shade. This is on our list to return on a better day.

Lorrence Mahaffy

Out of the way. One good hike. Not much else other than plant and small wildlife talk and encounters.

Cam

Came here for the 2017 Great American eclipse. Wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did, but the fossils and the visitor center are super interesting! There are also some nice trails to check out. Loved it!

Desi Parker

Beautiful but hot short hike to see fossils

Jutta Stengel

Serendipitously ended up in this clean, well-run little park after it became obvious that my Great American Eclipse strategy of driving north on the I-25 maybe wasn't such a great idea. So I headed east and landed here, where I was introduced to entelododonts (picture a carnivorous moose with a massive warthog head), gazelle camels, and land beavers that dug amazingly symmetrical spiral burrows. Learned about the Oglala Sioux and other native peoples and enjoyed the guest speaker, Kelly Looking Horse, as he shared his cultural perspectives with us. My 2-day visit culminated in the most indescribably beautiful eclipse, surrounded by thousands of wild sunflowers instead of thousands of cars. Someday I'll return to enjoy the subtle, quiet beauty of this place and reacquaint myself with its denizens both past and present.

Kevin Pflager

A great place for hiking and learning about fossils and nature!

Anneliese Ploetz

This is one of the better visitors centers I've been to for the National Park System. There is a nice walk you can do up to the fossil hills where the original fossils were found (and digs still happen). There's also a shorter hike near the entrance that goes to where the daemonhelix were found. There's literally nothing nearby, so if you need gas or snacks you're looking at Harrison, NE as one of the closest places.

Beth Still

Interesting geologic features and great foodies of prehistoric animals. Love the trails! Perfect location from which to view the eclipse of 2017!

Michael Gerhold

Very nice National Park

Becky Paulsen

Great place for a hike/nice visitor center

Joshua murphy

Loved it

Kevin Huffaker

Lot's of neat exhibits. Friendly staff.

Christopher White

This is a fascinating and beautiful place to visit. I especially enjoyed the collection of Indian artifacts.

Eric Rudberg

Extremely interesting museum explaining the time period between dinosaurs and things like woolly mammoths. Very well designed museum with great displays. Also a great room with a very large collection of Indian artifacts.

Eric Hudnall

Friendly knowledgeable staff. Impressive display of Native American artifacts.

Rimpi Singh

In my opinion it was a waste of time. They had this small exhibit and small documentary. If you are expecting to see some real bones and bed, please do not visit it.

Paul Zollner

Dig for fossils. Make sure you watch the movie.

Cheryl Jarman

Very interesting place! Wish we could have been able to walk the distance to the dig site.

Jaser Candales

Interesting great rangers to help the kids

Gary Smith

Interesting National Monument with good displays. All fossils discovered on site.

Stephanie DeLillo

Really nice exhibit in the visitor center. Trails are well maintained and peaceful. The Fossil Trail is a long gradual uphill walk the majority of the way but not terribly steep inclines.

Marvin Anderson

Nicolai had a blast.