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Trip Idea

# Great Plains Fossil Road Trip

Multiple Parks

| Duration   | Multiple Days                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Topic(s)   | Animals, Bison, Fossils and Paleontology, Geology, Grasslands,Native American Heritage, Night Sky, Astronomy, Rock Landscapes and Features, Buttes, Scenic Views, Trails, Endangered, Wilderness, Ancient Seas, Foothills,  Plains and Valleys, Birds, Climate Change, Mineral Deposits*more »*  |
| Activities | Guided Tours, Junior Ranger Program, Hiking, Self-Guided Tours - Walking                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Type       | Kid Friendly, Educational, Road Trip, Group Friendly                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Parks      | Badlands National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument                                                                                                                                                                                                      |

Multiple Parks

## ** Tags

                -  badlands national park 
                -  agate fossil beds national monument 
                -  scotts bluff national monument 
                -  midwest 
                -  fossils 
                -  paleontology 
                -  great plains 
                -  south dakota 
                -  nebraska 
                -  north dakota 

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              -  Badlands National ParkVisit the Fossil Preparation Lab  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Guided Tours
- Pets:  No
- Season:  Summer
- Time of Day: Day

Visit the Fossil Preparation Lab in Badlands National Park, where visitors have the opportunity to engage with paleontologists and other park staff working on Badlands fossils!
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              -  Badlands National ParkBadlands Ranger Programs  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Guided Tours
- Pets:  Yes with Restrictions
- Duration:  20–60 Minutes
- Season:  Spring,  Summer,  Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Night

Many different programs are led by rangers at Badlands National Park. Learn more about wildlife, geology, paleontology, and more by stopping at a ranger program during your visit! Visit this page to find program descriptions, locations, and typical times.
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              -  Agate Fossil Beds National MonumentDaemonelix Trail  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Hiking
- Pets:  Yes
- Location:  Daemonelix Trailhead
- Duration:  30–60 Minutes
- Season:  Winter,  Spring,  Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk

Hike a one-mile trail back in time to the day of the paleocaster, a dry land beaver, and paleosoils, fossilized dirt from the time this landscape was formed. Look out over the vast, open table lands that define the high plaines east of the Rocky Mountains.
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              -  Agate Fossil Beds National MonumentFossil Hills Trail  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Hiking
- Pets:  Yes
- Location:  Fossil Hills Trailhead
- Duration:  45–120 Minutes
- Season:  Winter,  Spring,  Summer,  Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk

Hike to University (left) and Carnegie Hills. The 2.7-mile Fossil Hills Trail allows visitors to walk up to and see the famed early 1900s quarries. From these quarries, paleontologists recovered some of the world's best preserved and most complete fossilized Menoceras, Moropus, and Dinohyus skeletons.
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              -  Scotts Bluff National MonumentSaddle Rock Trail Geology Hiking Tour  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Self-Guided Tours - Walking
- Pets:  Yes
- Location:  North Overlook Trailhead
- Duration:  60–90 Minutes
- Season:  Winter,  Spring,  Summer,  Fall
- Time of Day: Day

This 1.6 mile hike on the Saddle Rock Trail features 435 feet of elevation change. Participants will have an opportunity to observe and learn about some unique geological features and the processes that created the landscape of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
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              -  Hike in Toadstool Geologic Park  - Activity Fee:  Yes
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Hiking
- Pets:  Yes
- Location:  Oglala National Grassland
- Duration:  1–3 Hours
- Season:  Winter,  Spring,  Summer,  Fall
- Time of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk

Explore the rocks, fossils, and fossil trackways of Toadstool Geologic Park in Nebraska! Interpretive guides available at the trailhead supply all the information you need for this hike through fossil history.
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              -  Become a Junior Paleontologist  - Activity Fee:  No (Entrance fees may apply)
- Reservations:  No
- Activity:  Junior Ranger Program
- Age:  5–12 years old
- Pets:  Yes
- Duration:  20–60 Minutes
- Season:  Winter,  Spring,  Summer,  Fall
- Time of Day: Any Time

Calling fossil-lovers of all ages! If you love paleontology and the National Park Service units that preserve them, become a Junior Paleontologist! Complete an activity booklet, learning all about fossils and having some fun along the way, to earn your Junior Paleontologist badge.
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