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Agate Fossil Beds National Monument |
Description:
Located on the Niobrara River in northwestern Nebraska, the Agate Fossil Beds and its surrounding prairie are preserved in a 3,000 acre National Monument. Once part of "Captain" James H. Cook's Agate Springs Ranch, the nearby beds are an important source for 19.2 million year-old Miocene epoch mammal fossils. Cook's ranch also became a gathering place for Chief Red Cloud and other Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Indian people. The monument's Cook Collection of American Indian artifacts reflects years of gifts brought by the Indians during visits to the ranch from the 1880's through the early 1900's.
Accessibility:
Virtually all of the facilities at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument are wheelchair accessible except for the trails. The 12- minute laserdisc movie "The Fossil Hills" is closed captioned.
Activites:
Fishing | Hiking | Wildlife Viewing | Bird Watching | Nature Walks | And more.
Facilities:
Visitor_Centers | Picnic Areas | Museum Exhibits | And more.
Nature: Fossils | Wildflowers | And more.
Directions to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Plane:
Nearest air service is available through Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, approximately 50 miles southeast of the monument.
Car:
To the park: access to region by automobile via Interstates 80, 90 and 25, and various state highways and county roads.
Visitors traveling east-west on U.S. Highway 26, turn North on State Highway 29 at Mitchell, Nebraska. The park is 34 miles from Mitchell. Visitors traveling on U.S. Highway 20, turn South on State Highway 29 at Harrison, Nebraska. The park is 22 miles from Harrison. Follow the National Park Service signs.
In Park: personal vehicles and paved and unpaved trails.
Public Transportation
No public transportation available.
Attractions:
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Phone:(308)436-4340
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Nebraska National Forest
Phone:(308)432-0300
Fort Robison State Park
Phone:(308)665-2900
Ashfall fossil Beds State Historic Park
Phone:(402)893-2000
Nearby Parks:
Scotts Bluff National Monument (45 miles)
Fort Laramie National Historic Site (79 miles)
Chimney Rock National Historic Site (176 miles)
Wind Cave National Park (138 miles)
Jewel Cave National Monument (184 miles)
Devils Tower National Monument (209 miles)
Badlands National Park (249 miles)
Rocky Mountain National Park (220 miles)
Yellowstone National Park (424 miles)
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