After a full day in the Black Hills, we headed down to spend the night in Chadron, Nebraska. Since we were already driving through, I looked up the Nebraska NPS sites. They’re a bit out there, and Chadron was the closest town coming from the Black Hills. You’ll find three sites in northwest Nebraska, and we headed out to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument first. The weather this morning was pretty terrible. The fog was so thick that you could barely see in front of you.
Address and Location
You’ll find Agate Fossil Beds National Monument at 301 River Road in Harrison, Nebraska. It is truly in the middle of nowhere. The portion of River Road that takes you to the monument is paved, but not all of River Road is paved. You’re about a 45 minute drive away from the nearest town, so make sure you have enough gas.
Cost
Exploring the Agate Fossil Beds is free.
What to do
Take a lap through the Visitor’s Center. While it’s not huge, it does have two interesting exhibits. The first highlights the animals and fossils that lived at the site over the years. The second explores the friendships of a family of white settlers, the Cooks, and the local Native Americans. James Cook and Red Cloud, the Oglala Lakota chief, became friends, and the Lakota gave the Cooks some really unique gifts over the years. You’ll see a painted hide depicting the Lakota’s history of the the Battle of Little Bighorn. Many gifts were owned by Red Cloud personally.
If the weather cooperates, take some time to explore the fossil beds. You can hike trails to several areas that were excavated. Sadly, the fog was so bad that we couldn’t really hike. You can also take a detour on one of the trails to explore the Cook family’s homestead cabin.
Nebraska National Park Service sites: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | Scotts Bluff National Monument | Chimney Rock National Historic Site | Your guide to the Nebraska National Parks |
