Reviews of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Visitor's Center (Tourist Attraction)

McKellan Binkley

Smaller of the national monuments, actual fossils not visible in park.

Rachel

This is a great place to go to learn about Idaho’s State Fossil (the hagerman horse) and the surrounding area! I was a summer intern there for 2019. All of the fossils are housed in town at the visitor center, but you can still drive out to the monument and view the two overlooks. The monument is preserved for ongoing paleontological research, so there isn’t much hiking or activity out there. The visitor center is small, but they have quite a variety of interesting fossil finds! The rangers are very knowledgeable and would love to tell you about the fossils if time allows it. Check out the Facebook page to see if there are any events happening there before you go.

Kevin Wight

Nice scenic drive along the river. Nice hot springs and small town charm

Amanda Meza

Great place to take kids

Tom Huson

Not worth the trip, you don't see any fossils and can't get to the site.There are a few fossils at the visitors center.

Carina H

Beautiful view

Byron Ball

Unbelievable, a must see!

Kyle McCarty

What an amazing place... and hike! Wow!!!

Fredonia Gilbert

Peaceful and Beautiful Place with Viewing Terrace

William Kerns

A very harsh land with a beauty all it's own. It is beautiful overlooking the snake river. Also once of the only unspoiled parts of the Oregon Trail that actually still has wagon ruts from the westward expansion of the 19th century.

Jim Sea

The visitors center is great but if you want to find fossils you need either a guide or GPS coordinates of recent digs. We went there and it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Rory Fargo

Beautiful views from the cliffs but if nothing is being excavated while you're there you can go to the information house and see what has happened in the past. Make sure you don't pick up any fossils. Take pictures and mark the spot with rocks. Then notify the information office so that they can alert the right people to identify and mark the bones and place they were found.

Karl Hussey

Educational. Quick visit. Small visitors center. Actual fossil bed just down the road.

Sarah Viesselmann

The visitors center had a nice video explaining the area in the Pliocene Epoch. It was interesting to learn how different it was. Fossils were at the visitors center, however, you will not see any on sight. The area is beautiful and comes with the added benefit of seeing where wagons came through on the Oregon Trail. Lots of history and natural science. Well worth the drive!

D W

Great historical importance; includes a great section of the Oregon Trail too. Make sure to plan your trip around an active dig time, otherwise there is not much to see unfortunately. Unlike other NPS sites nearby, there are rattlesnakes here to reduce hiking. Great visitor center.

Victoria Rafa

Do NOT rely on your GPS to navigate this area.

J N

loved it

Mark Boyer

A firm believer and supporter of our National Park System, this one was not one of our favorite. The visitor center is small with small displays. Anyone participating in the National Parks Passport program, be advised they are no longer the cancellation location for Minidoka Park. Minidoka has their own visitor center now.

Jan Karn

Excellent Customer Service

Lorena Velasco

Muy bonito lugar me encantó ❤

Maddie Mirassou

The visitors center is definitely the place to go for info on the fossils found in Hagerman. We went to the museum and the "fossil bed overlook" and were disappointed until we came here. The staff is extremely knowledgable and can tell you all about the different fossils on display.

Kevin Wolters

The Visitors Center in the center of Hagerman City is where you start your journey. This place is staffed with retirees who are so passionate about the Hagerman Fissile Beds that it is contagious. You can watch a 12 min video on the Hagerman Horse (zebra-like) in the air-conditioned theater, read tons of info on what life was like between 3.7 and 3.1 million yes ago. From the Visitors Center, you can head out to the Hagerman Fishery, follow the tour in your own car to the Snake River Overlook and concluding with the Oregon Trail Overlook (and Emigrant Trail Hike...we didn't do the hike. It was too hot & we're too old:) Pics are of Oregon Trail Overlook.

Brenda Losey

Wow

Nancy Robinson

Great displays of horse fossils and short video of the formations.

Jake Kinghorn

Great overlook

Nikki King

Very disappointed. Didn't get to go see where the fossils originated from. Maybe a good place for little kids

Brandelynn Vincent

Took my grandsons the guide did a decent job but failed to take into account the kids. I had to explain what he was saying as he was using words above thier understanding. People were left behind on the tour as they needed to rest the stairs proved to be a little too much for them.

Bevin Modrak

Museum is small, fossil bed are in bluffs near the river and no excavations happening so nothing to see.

Jonathan Kuzmeskus

For the people rating this park with 3 or lease stars....It is protected for a reason. The first decendents of modern day horses came from here and it is a valuable archeological sight where numerous species have been discovered. Yes it is no Grand Canyon or Zion but it has a history and beauty of it's own. The Oregon trail also cuts through it making it more interesting. Makes for a good day trip.

tammie stambaugh

Pretty cool its actualy in a forestry building but they have a place you can warch a video about the history of the area.

Sitabai Betts

Great place, fascinating, small visitors center with older film to educate visitors.

Celtic Nomad

Great trails to hike.

Jasey Kat

Like looking for a needle in a haystack

Zena Begin

Fascinating museum with a lot of history

Jon Beasley

Awesome little stop off the freeway. Did you know we have found Mammoth and Saber tooth tigers in this area!? Mind blowing!

robert bradt

You can't anywhere near where you can see the fossils

Jeffrey Huffer

Great food

Ross H.

Pretty non eventful. They don't actually have any fossils in the visitor center only a plastic model of the primitive horses that used to live in that area. Really not worth the stop.

Olin Gardner

Great place to take the family and enjoy Idaho's splendor.

Ovvie Bray

Friendly helpful people

wertdeg

No open fossil beds.. all fossils they have are on display in visitors center

Stacy Pauley

Extremely interesting and a great stoo

Katie Carmichael

Interesting place that is known for ancient horse fossils, and some of the ruts left from the Oregon Trail. The visitor center is in near by Hagerman. It has a small collection of fossils from the site.

Lisa Peterson-Burch

Not what we expected. Thought we'd be seeing fossils still embedded, but it's just a small building in town. Ranger was very nice.

Robert Kokrda

A very nice, but small museum. Gives the history of the fossil beds that have been found in the area, and a full skeleton of the Hagerman Horse.

Lee Koehmstedt

Interesting area will return to learn more

Ashley Mclachlan

Wonderful place

sh9down onme

Unexpected and pretty cool in the area. Really spectacular views of the whole entire Valley

Jennifer Lipskoch

Nice views and interesting info.

jackie holler

Great visit !! Make sure to get your Jr ranger badge!!

MICHELLE BURNS

The visitor center would get 5 stars because it had a nice variety of bones & exhibits, but, the fossil monument area was a major disappointment. I thought we were going to get up close to view a dig area with exposed bones but the map took up to an overlook to gaze down into a canyon. This was not worth the drive. The Dinosaur Monument in Jensen, Utah was much better.

Liz Bishoff

Visitor center was interesting but overviews didn't add much to this site.

Tara Smith

Pretty

Andy Chap

Long drive

kory snyder

Awesome

Amy Storms

Very cool must see stop in Hagerman!

Sherry Hernandez

Beautiful!!

Bill Wylie

Really interesting

Julie Fowler

Big sky country!

Mitch Burton

Amazing!! Great displays that intrigued adults and kids. Awesome kid friendly staff and activities. Dissected owl pellets, dug for bones, and had a killer time

KEN BURNS

Awesome

Linda S. Hammons

Visitors Center in town good, but trip out to overlook and to see Oregon Trail remnants worthless except view of Snake River.

JOSHUA SMITH

Nice museum. Interesting movie. The rangers are eager to help and show you everything. Also jr ranger programs

Victoria Brooks

Classic car show was going on when we stopped in town for lunch. They had a great turn out. Great music, food and prizes.

Nikhil Gore

Nothing to see; avoid unless you have nothing better to do.

Ed Klopfenstein

The visitor's center is totally worth the drive and visit. My family really enjoyed talking to the ranger there, who was as excited as a 2 year old to share his knowledge on the area. And, if you listen and ask where the best places are to tour the area, he'll point out the hot spots. We didn't see any fossils, but we weren't expecting to. We did see the underground rivers, the deep deep canyons and some very beautiful parks. We truly enjoyed our visit, but to get the most out of it, you really need to go the visitor's center and pester the guides. Then, your trip will be awesome!

Aaron Christensen

The ranger was a wonderful host! We enjoyed the things that we learned. There were fun, hands-on exhibits. The AR sandbox was a very fun way to learn about erosion! This is a great National Monument!

Michael Scarlett

I appreciate the National Parks system and want to visit as many parks, sites and monuments as I can. The information center is wonderful with great material and helpful staff. What I missed is that the fossil beds are more of a geographic area. I was hoping for trails that took you to see fossil beds in the ground. There is a spot out on road where you can look out over a beautiful expanse, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Something that did brighten the time out on the preserve was getting to walk on a couple of historic trails, one being the Oregon Trail. If you're passing through be sure to stop at the information center to get your National Parks Passport book stamped. But only if you have time to try to explore the wider area, I wouldn't recommend driving out to the area.

sirrown

History in the making

Philip Nace

Beautiful place for a short walk or long hike.

Phillip Rivas

Cool views!!!!!

A B

Very disappointed. Was led to believe that if I followed the driving loop that we'd see more than weeds and cows. Signage along the route is non existent

Jo Bledsoe

We found this by accident! What a cool place. We camped near here, actually near the fossil dogs, and did not know it. Went to the visitor center the next day, and just loved it! The one to horse is so cool.

t walsh

Underwhelming is the perfect word here. If you're in the area and driving by, the visitor center makes for an okay visit, but the two overlooks out of town are simply a waste of time. It's hard to believe this is actually classified as a national monument.

Alexander Henderson

I saw original wagon tracks from emigrants .

Robin Rene

Never did find the fossil exhibit... Just a sign saying future home of

Karla Burkhart

Not much to see. Dry land and farms. Fossils are on the museum.

Ray Mihulka

Oregon Trail, fossils, scenery. Beautiful area. Trout fishing.

Dave Swinton

Pretty neat place to visit. The rangers are super awesome here.

Jonathan Spaulding

Interesting place to spend an hour.

Elainea Horan

Not much to see. A few fossils are on display in the visitors center, other than that, the fossil beds are just a valley with no fossils in it anymore.

Mrs Nonie

Glad to have stopped. Great displays. Learned about other sites in the area. Why haven't we been here sooner?!! Will visit again. Video was informative.

Christian Grand

I visited the site, but unfortunately the visitor center was closed when I was able to go. I do not recommend visiting unless you are going to talk to the ranger and see the interpretive portion in visitor center. I enjoyed my time here, as I always do at national park sites, but like would absolutely emphasize that the visitor center is what makes this trip worthwhile.

Sydnee Young

Very helpful lady at the front desk, nice atmosphere. Fossils in great condition with informative details about them. Small but great.

Zack Feser

I thought it was really cool to see the Oregon trail wagon wheel tracks. I'm really glad we visited this location. There is a walking trail that takes you along the Oregon trail.

Kaleb Broadhead

Boring, overlooks are ok but not spectacular.

Dianne Jewell

Quiet in the evening. Life vests to borrow for kayaking, or canoeing. Great views.

Jasmin-Marie Jones

A small visitor center with a big job. Wonderful and passionate ranger willing to share information. Came excited about the Hagerman Horse fossils and found out so much more. 3 miles of the original Oregon trail well preserved. Also found out about the Minidoka war relocation camp where nearly 13,000 people where imprisoned. If you love history this national monument has more than enough to offer.

Robin Neeper

Really expected something a little more involved but it was an ok place to stop by as long as it is on the way.

Denny Raymundo

Nice view .

wesley bourn

I didn't visit the museum in town. Was hoping there was going to be something more for information or visitor area.

Nancy Aldrich

Nice little museum. Great video

tomanddora watson

Very interesting

Cynthia P

We’re big fans of the National Park system. We’ve learned something at even the smallest parks and this one was no exception. That said, there really isn’t that much there. The staff is very informative though. They have a cast of a mastodon head, a reproduction of a Hagerman horse skeleton, and numerous authentic fossils. The history of the actual site and Hagerman horse are interesting. You can see the site from an overlook, however, there is really nothing to see as there hasn’t been a dig in decades. The route is on the Oregon and Emigrate Trails which are interesting for the history but not so much what you see. If you’re in the area, it’s worth going.

rhonda clonts

Big joke

Carissa Hughes

Not as cool as I thought it would be. Thought there would be more information or things to look at.

Chris Martel

Pretty cool stop. Recommend

Karen Moore

I'm rating this high, not because of the fossils seen, rather for the scenery, which was amazing. Huge hills, cool rocks, and the history behind the area, i.e., Oregon Trail and Emigrant Trail.

Jessica Seltenright

The drive is pretty but we had a hard time finding the fossil beds. I'm still not sure we were in the right spot.

Darrel,Spunky Vulgamore

Smiles

Ian Zabarte

Millions ogf years of history.

Sara Meier

Loved the "fossil bed" at the end of the trail. Excited to check out the visitor center in town as it was closing once we located it.

Ruben Stemple

Good national park visitors center but you have to drive to see the fossil beds.

Alan Munk

Nice place to visit

Greg Vore

Cool place

Gary Wilson

This is a nice place and very scenic.

Carol Hill

So much history and the people are very knowledgeable. No dogs allowed in though

Kim Hodges

Nothing to see

Irma Pörsti

(Translated by Google) Okay illuminating the youth as explained. (Original) Ohan valaisevaa nuorisolle selitettynä.

Bev Sierpina

A nice little Visitors' Center, but no one in our group was impressed with anything we saw. Perhaps if the audiovisual gave a visual about the evolution of the horse or other animals from the fossils, it would be more meaningful and something we could relate to. A reproduction of a fossil from 2 million years ago did not have much impact.

Chmitz

Good views and a nice trail 3 mile trail(one way). Didn't make it to the visitor center, which is in town.

ArSha Ramiya

Small visitor center which gives you the gush of air conditioned air which you would be looking for on a summer day

Angie Pullin

It was an ok place, more for kids.

Austin Hobbs

Came to play at the pipeline and had a blast. Miles and miles of single track.

Cocoa Bean

Its nice

kitt ofwonders

Gorgeous lookouts. One overlooks the snake river and the other overlooks a portion of the Oregon trail.