Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is located in a very remote area. No camping is permitted within park boundaries. A modern, covered picnic area with drinking fountains is located near the visitor center; and bottled water, juice, and soda pop are available from a vending machine inside.

If traveling from the south; Scottsbluff, Gering and Mitchell all have RV camping, restaurants and gas stations. The closest of these, Mitchell, is 34 miles south of Agate Fossil Beds. 

If traveling from the north; primitive camping is available at Gilbert-Baker Park 5 miles north of Harrison or RV camping is available in Harrison at the Sage Motel and at the city park where there are 2 free hookups. Also 20 miles east of Harrison on Hwy 20 is Fort Robinson State Park which has multiple camping areas. There is a restaurant, a bar, a gas station open during the weekdays, a motel and a hotel bed and breakfast in Harrison which is 24 miles from Agate Fossil Beds. 

East of Harrison on Hwy. 20 is Crawford, NE with gas stations, restaurants and motels. To the West of Harrison on Hwy 20 is Lusk, WY also with gas stations, restaurants and motels.

Prescribed Burn slated for Spring 2009

The Northern Great Plains Fire and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument staffs plan to conduct a prescribed fire. The scheduled dates are mid March to late April. Dates can not be set very far ahead of time as the conditions must be evaluated on a daily basis.  A fire management plan has been in place at Agate Fossil Beds for several years. This plan establishes the objectives, acceptable weather conditions, site preparation, equipment, staff, firing operation, notifications, and other details for the use of prescribed fire. 

The goals of a prescribed burn at Agate Fossil Beds are

• To restore the natural processes on a mixed grass prairie.
• To reduce fuel loading (thatch) in prairie areas.
• To decrease fuel continuity by creating a mosaic of burned and unburned shrub lands and woody draws.

Periodic burns

• Improve conditions for certain plants and animals
• Reduce levels of flammable fuel
• Can improve forage
• Recycle nutrients
• Remove undesirable competing vegetation

The National Park Service has a fire monitoring program that provides guidance and sets standards for monitoring methods. Monitoring plots are established before a fire to document baseline vegetation conditions. During the fire weather conditions are recorded, photos are taken and fire behavior observations are made. The plots are revisited after the fire and again several years later to determine what changes, if any, have taken place in the vegetation. 

One challenging side effect of a fire is smoke. Exposure to smoke can be reduced through actions by both park and public. Fire managers look for ignition days with unstable atmospheric conditions, which disperse the smoke by allowing the smoke to mix with the air. The general public can protect themselves by closing windows and doors, closing outside vents, staying indoors when smoke is present and if a respiratory condition exists, one may want to leave the area.