agate fossil beds national monument

agate fossil beds national monument印象

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  466robinc

  Nice drive there kids loved the fact they all became Jr rangers a lot of interesting things to see I do wish there was more tho

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  Kate939

  Great hiking, with an excellent presentation of paleontology. The American Indian artifact display (given to the original ranch owner) is stunning. It would be housed in a big city Eastern museum, except the original ranch owner specified that it had to stay on the monument.

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  jfadds

  Off the beaten path,this is worth a visit.Very interesting story of how the wealth of fossils were discovered here and developed.Also enjoyed the story of the original owner of the property's relationship and friendship with the indigenous peoples. A rare white man who treated the natives with respect and mutual admiration.Nice hiking trails-just watch out for rattlers.

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  smokymtndeb

  Make sure to stop by the Visitor Center. Very informative!! While out on the trails beware of snakes. Beautiful and peaceful here. Summers are hot so make sure to carry water.

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  snarky4

  This out of the way national monument is a great spot for historians and paleo fans. Very nice visitor's center with fun local information.

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  711lynnw

  We got here at closing so we didn't get a chance to go through the visitor's center. The temperature was in the 90s and so we opted to walk the shorter Daemonelix Trail. At the beginning of the trail we picked up a brochure and off we went. The really interesting part of this trail is the preserved burrows of the land beaver, Paleocastor. The land beavers were about the size of today's prairie dogs and they created corkscrew burrows. Several of these can be seen along the trail. The drive out to the park is kind of long without much to see, except thousands of tumbleweeds everywhere, but is worth it if you are interested in prehistoric animals.

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  warrenville111

  We didn't have a lot of time traveling between Scottsbluff and Badlands National Park, but made sure to make the stop at Agate Fossil Beds. Stopping in at the visitors center, the ranger gave us a short introduction before playing the video - it helped a lot to understand the monument. The visitor's center was very nice and had a number of displays.I wish we would have had time to hike to University and Carnegie Hills trail as that is where the fossils were discovered. Instead, we did the mile long Daemonelix trail which was interesting and had a few good examples of the fossil digging. We were there for about 1.5 hours - but wish we would have had another 1.5 for the second trail.There is no shade on either of the trails. There are bathroom facilities at the visitors center.

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  K2410RGjuliew

  I was in Lusk, WY heading home to Rapid City, SD and overheard someone recommending this attraction. So I took out my map and found it was very close. Plus it usually is a safe bet being a National monument. I arrived with no info about what I'd find, except for the name. I walked in watched the film, and learned a great deal about creatures I'd never heard about. More recent than dinosaurs, but extinct. Within the visitor center is the Cook Collection of Native American artifacts. It turns out the man who owned this land was friends with Red Cloud and his family and friends and they would camp here. They would get permission to leave Pine Ridge and go up here. They trusted Cook and wanted their culture preserved, so they gave him many, many gifts, which are exhibited here today. On reflection, these objects are fossils of a free culture which once lived in North America. I was touched to see Red Clouds Shirt and pipe bag. I also walked one of the trails, about a mile long.

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  hummernator

  This is a place we had not planned on visiting, because we had not heard of it. Another case of too much to do and not enough time. If you like dinosaurs or hiking, this is a great place, and I would have rated it Excellent if we had had time to do anything other than watch the movie at the Visitor Center. Visiting a place like this makes you realize how full of unknown treasures our country is, and if we pass this way again, I will be sure to allow enough time to do the hikes.

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  whiskey3pa

  Spent 3 hours here and dearly wished that we had more time budgeted. Very nice visitor center with a whole room dedicated to native American exhibits. The animals that were preserved here are fascinating. The corkscrew dens were a kid favorite. It is a beautiful valley and the trails attractive. Coming from the NE, the plains are a dramatic change and it was fun to get out and listen to the rustle of the seemingly endless grass.