• The Agate Fossil Hills where mammal fossils were excavated in the early 1900's

    Agate Fossil Beds

    National Monument Nebraska

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  • Visitor Center Hours

    The visitor center at Agate Fossil Beds will be open the following hours: Memorial Day till Labor Day Open Daily 9 am - 5 pm; Labor Day till Memorial Day Open Daily 8 am - 4 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Environmental Factors

Thunderheads are common in the summer months.

Thunderheads are common in the summer months.

Environmental factors, such as weather, and other natural cycles play an important part in shaping the park landscape, dictating the plant and animal species that survive in this area. Agate is located in rural northwest Nebraska surrounded by ranches that produce beef, alfalfa and hay. In this setting, the park is concerned with water quality due to ongoing irrigation upstream and fertilizer application. At this time this has not been a problem. For more discussion on this topic, read about Rivers and Streams in the Natural Features of this web site. Other park concerns are noxious weeds that include cheatgrass and Canada thistle. Canada thistle is discussed under the topic Other in the Plant section of this web site. The park also monitors weather and observes air quality.

Did You Know?

Red Cloud

The Hollywood film "Ghost Town" was renamed in its Italian version "Red Cloud's War Cry" -- Il Grido di Guerra di Nuvola Rossa.  One of Red Cloud’s shirts is on display at the Agate Fossil Beds Visitor Center. More...