TOURISM INFORMATION
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(19 miles west & 6 miles north of Plainview Ne.)
Some 10 million years ago, hundreds of rhinos, three-toed horses, camels and other animals died and were buried by volcanic ash around the edges of a watering hole in what is now northeast Nebraska. Still locked in their death poses, the amazingly well-preserved skeletons of these prehistoric beasts lay undisturbed, wrapped in a net of jagged glassy particles, until the 1970s, when scientific study of the fossilized remains began. Located just 19 miles west on U.S. Highway 20 and 6 miles north of Plainview Nebraska, Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is a joint project of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the University of Nebraska State Museum. The park offers a fascinating and educational experience for the entire family - a chance to step back in time and see what Nebraska wildlife was like long before modern man ventured onto the Great Plains.
Visitors
are invited to watch the ongoing excavation of this unique "time
capsule." A 2,000 square foot "Rhino Barn" protects part of the
deposit, where skeletons are uncovered and displayed exactly where they are
found. Walkways give visitors a close-up view as paleontologists carefully
brush away the volcanic ash from the massive skulls of native American rhinos
and the delicate side hooves of tiny ancestral horses. 
The Ashfall site is of national importance and has been featured on the NBC Nightly News, in National Geographic magazine, Ranger Rick magazine and in newspapers worldwide. national Geographic also profiled the area in its book, Giants from the Past.
About Your Visit to ASHFALL FOSSIL BEDS...
Your first stop should be the Visitor Center to see the interpretive displays and the working fossil preparation laboratory. You are invited to ask the paleontologists about their work-. Educational programs are presented on regular basis. From the Visitor Center, it is but a short stroll to the Rhino Barn, where new discoveries continue to be unearthed. Ashfall is Situated on 360 acres of rugged rangeland in the scenic Verdigre Creek river. Nature trails are being developed to help interpret the geology as well as the flora and fauna of the area. Picnicking is permitted on the park, and campers can use nearby Grove lake Wildlife Management Area near Royal. There is also Free camping in Plainview's Chilvers Park
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Other areas of interest...
Plainview Country Club... (Golf
Course) 4 west, 1 north, 1/2 east of Plainview,
Ne
(Click on above for birds eye view of
course)
Willow Creek Reservoir... 18 miles southeast on hiway 13
Lewis and Clark lake........ 19 miles east on hiway 20 & then 38 miles north on hiway 81
Royal Grove Lake & Fish Hatchery...17 miles west on hiway 20
NIOBRARA STATE PARK......... 12 miles west & 29 miles north
Northeast Nebraska Zoo... 17 miles west on hiway 20 (small but interesting)
Various Antique and Craft stores....... right in Plainview
Klown Museum........ On Hiway 20 across from the park in Plainview, Ne,
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