If you're a natural history buff or just someone who enjoys a unique adventure, there's a fossil park in Nebraska that will knock your socks off. You can walk in the footsteps of ancient animals and see interesting information about how they lived and died. It's a terrifically engaging place that everyone should visit at least once.
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is located in northeastern Nebraska near the town of Royal.
This fascinating historical site is unlike anything else you'll see in Nebraska. It contains perfectly preserved fossils of animals that died here some 12 million years ago.
Even before you reach the buildings, you'll begin to see how special this place is. Outside, the statues of two fighting rhinos and a giant tortoise green visitors.
The park is located in an absolutely beautiful area, with rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Some of the areas of paleontological interest are outdoors, like this former excavation site.
But most of the action is inside, either in the Visitor Orientation Center or the Hubbard Rhino Barn. There are wonderfully preserved fossils all throughout, all displayed with names, descriptions, and a bit of history.
You can learn a lot about Nebraska's natural history just by perusing these displays. Did you know that our state once had a subtropical climate and was populated with animals like giant camels, sabre-tooth deer, rhinos, and prehistoric horses?
Follow along with the displays to learn the story of how these fossils came to be. Around 12 million years ago, a volcano erupted in Idaho that sent massive clouds of ash eastward across the continent. Approximately one to two feet of ash covered what is now Nebraska.
Many of the animals survived the initial rain of ash, but over the subsequent weeks their lungs were damaged by breathing in the powdered glass. Animals began to die off in huge numbers; the fossils found here at Ashfall are those of creatures that died while visiting a watering hole.
The sudden deaths and layer of ash contributed to the perfect preservation of the animals' skeletons right where they died. Their footprints and even the contents of their stomachs were kept intact, as were the seeds of grasses and other plants.
Step inside the Hubbard Rhino Barn and you'll even get to see an active paleontological dig in progress! Paleontologists and students from the University of Nebraska toil away to uncover more fossils.
The dig site is constantly changing. No two visits are ever the same since new and interesting specimens are regularly unearthed.
Learn all about the geology of the area and how these creatures were preserved so well. Informative signs are peppered throughout the buildings and grounds, so be sure to move around to learn as much as possible!
Check out the artistic timeline around the perimeter of the rhino barn, but don't forget to examine the skeletons that lie in exactly the positions in which these prehistoric animals died.
This dig site is a true natural treasure, both for the scientists who study it and the Nebraska travelers who love dropping in to see this incredible bit of history.
Address: 86930 517th Ave, Royal, NE 68773. The park is located 4 miles east and 6 miles north of Orchard, NE; 2 miles west and 6 miles north of Royal, NE; or 7 miles west and 3 miles south of the junction of Hwy 14 & 59.
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is open May 1 through early October each year, but hours vary by date. Check out the current year's operating schedule right here. A Nebraska parks permit is required to enter the grounds, as well as an additional entrance fee of $7 for everyone age 3 and older.
There's another ancient burial site on the other side of the state that features a very different type of animal...and an intriguing mystery. Read all about it right here.
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