Near the western border of Nebraska in the early 1900’s, full skeletons of extinct Miocene mammals unearthed in the hills lead to the creation of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument to preserve the site and history.

Outside there are nearly four miles of hiking trails, where you can explore the excavation sites – where there are actually still tiny bone fragments to view from the excavation efforts. This national park unit is in a more remote are, but perfect for visiting especially if you are already in the area for Scotts Bluff, or nearby Fort Laramie in Wyoming, or the handful of national parks in southwestern South Dakota.

Perfectly preserved fossils displayed near the same location where they were once discovered is not what I was expecting to find in western Nebraska. Highly recommend a visit to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, and watching the video in the visitor’s center theatre is particularly illuminating. The visitors center is in itself a captivating museum, full of fossils and information with plenty of hands-on interpretive displays.

Fossil Hills Trail in Agate Fossil Beds

This 2.8 mile hiking trail is fully paved, and includes a few benches offering a place to stop and rest on the route. There are however, zero trees in the area so sun-protection is a must on the trail. The day we visited we saw about a dozen people throughout our few hour visit. The beautiful weather certainly encouraged a slow-paced exploration of the trails, from viewing tiny bugs to grand expanses of rocky cliffs.

Daemonelix Trail in Agate Fossil Beds

Near the west entrance to the park, you can also enjoy a shorter 1 mile hiking trail, the Daemonelix Trail. It features an exhibit of the fascinating spiral corkscrew fossil of the Paleocastor, an ancient beaver.

National Park Service unit 128/423.