Agate Fossil Beds

I didn’t go to sleep until almost midnight last night. I woke in the middle of the night, the door was partially open on the side and I heard rain. I remembered I left my hiking shoes outside to dry. I stepped outside to get the shoes. It was very overcast and the air was moist. There were no lights on, and it was pitch black out. I stood outside for a few minutes and couldn’t see anything. It was like being in a cave. In the distance, I could hear cyotes calling. Miles away a train was rambling along. This was perfect sleeping weather, and I hopped back into bed and pull the duvee up and drifted off again.

I woke around 8 a.m. and slipped on my hiking shoes. They were dry but the bottoms were covered in mud (bentonite) and small stones. I headed off for the 1 mile hike on the Toadstool trail hoping to see some of the famous hoodoo formations.

Toadstool Trail - Toadstool Geologic Park

I was somewhat disappointed that some of the formations I’d seen online weren’t visible on the one-mile Toadstool Trail. Maybe they had collapsed over time, or maybe they’re tucked away on one of the longer loops. Still, the hike was worth it.

The trail loops through badlands that showcase millions of years of geologic history. Layer upon layer of clay, sandstone, and volcanic ash has been exposed by erosion, leaving the landscape stripped down to its bones. The famous “toadstools” are hoodoos—mushroom-shaped rock formations created when a harder capstone resists erosion while the softer material beneath it wears away. Over time, wind and water carve out the pedestal until it looks like a stone table or giant mushroom sitting on a thin stem.

What makes the hike interesting is how much variety you see in such a short distance. The path winds past tilted bands of rock, scattered fragments of harder stone that once capped formations, and patches of bentonite clay that turn slick when wet. Some formations look precarious, as if they could topple at any moment, while others stand like silent sentinels over the prairie.

Compared to the longer Bison Trail I hiked yesterday, the Toadstool Trail feels like the condensed version—less distance, but still packed with strange geology. The Bison Trail opened up into wide prairies and cattle encounters, while this one kept me focused on the hoodoos and exposed layers. Different experiences, but both gave me a glimpse of why this corner of Nebraska is called “the badlands.”

Beside the campground is a reconstructed prairie home made of prairie grass sod.

I wasn’t looking forward to the 25+ mile ride back on the dirt roads towards Crawford. Surprisingling, grating work they had done yesterday had significantly improved the washboard effect and I was able to drive 50 mph without the van being completely shaken apart.

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

In the distance was the Agate Fossil Beds and I could see rain coming down in the distance. I stopped for gas because I was well below the 1/2 tank I like to maintain. I pulled up to the National Monument which is a beautiful building situated far from any other buildings. The rain was coming down full force and I had planned a hike to the two digs at University and Carnegie Hills. Unfortunately, in this weather it didn’t make sense.

Agate Fossil Beds is one of those places that doesn’t look like much from a distance, but the story beneath the ground is remarkable. The site was originally part of James Cook’s Agate Springs Ranch in the late 1800s. Cook noticed bones eroding out of the hillsides and invited paleontologists to investigate. By the early 1900s, teams from the University of Nebraska and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History were actively digging here. The two main hills—University and Carnegie—got their names from those early expeditions.

The fossils themselves date back about 20 million years to the Miocene Epoch. This was a time when North America looked very different—grasslands were spreading and strange-looking mammals roamed here. The most famous finds are from creatures like the beardog, tiny gazelle-camels called Stenomylus, and the massive pig-like Dinohyus. The best-known fossils, though, are the corkscrew-shaped burrows of the land beaver Palaeocastor. These spiral tunnels, called “Daemonelix,” baffled early scientists until they realized they were actually ancient animal homes.

So how did all these animals end up here? Scientists think that during a series of droughts, herds gathered around shrinking water sources near Agate Springs. When rains returned, sudden flooding buried the animals in layers of sand and silt, preserving them in astonishing detail. The site became one of the most complete Miocene mammal records in North America, helping to fill in a crucial chapter of evolutionary history.

The connection to Nebraska runs deep. Paleontologist Erwin H. Barbour from the University of Nebraska was one of the first to organize digs here, bringing in students and shaping what would eventually become the university’s State Museum collection. At the same time, the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh sent teams west, and their fossils went into national displays. Between those two institutions, Agate’s discoveries reached classrooms and museums across the country.

In 1965, recognizing the scientific and educational value, the area was designated Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The goal was to preserve both the fossil sites and the story of how they were discovered. Today, the visitor center includes not only the paleontology exhibits but also an impressive collection of Native American artifacts given to James Cook by his Lakota friends, including Red Cloud.

Research hasn’t stopped, either. Scientists continue to revisit old collections with modern technology, scanning fossils for micro-details that weren’t possible to study a century ago. The fossil hills are closed to digging now, but the significance of what was found here keeps growing as new comparisons are made with other Miocene sites worldwide.

I planned my trip out for tomorrow and realized my food supply was running low, so I found a Walmart in Mitchell, NE. Lately, I’d been dealing with some unpleasant drainage smells coming from my grey tank. My sister suggested I stop at Walmart and ask about products that might help, but no one in customer service had a clue what I was talking about. They sent me back to the camping section near auto, where the two employees knew even less. Eventually, I just looked around myself and spotted what I needed: Camco TST Citrus, the liquid form. It’s environmentally friendly and citrus-based, made for RV tanks. I’ve never used it before, and it does seems to really work. Odor gone.

It was after 5 p.m. and I started looking for a place to stay. I knew I didn’t want to spend the night at this Walmart, even though there wasn’t any signage against it. Too many loud trucks were revving and making as much noise as possible. Instead, I found a quiet spot by a fishing lake about 30 minutes away. The drive in took me over a few dirt roads, and when I arrived the place was completely empty. I parked right beside the water just as the rain started up again. I left the side door open during the rain because it was coming from the other direction. I made dinner and was able to relax.