Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument - Idaho

Address:Hagerman, Idaho
Tel: (208) 837-4793

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, which encompasses part of the Oregon Trail, is a monument of huge significance for historians, geologists, and paleontologists. The park is home to the largest North American collection of Hagerman horse fossils (they are actually closer in appearance to today's zebras), which are believed to be a possible link between prehistoric and modern horses. The fossils found in the preservation represent an entire ecological system including wetland, riparian, and grassland savanna.
The museum and exhibits teach guests about the amazing geological processes that have occurred in the park over millions of years. Walks around the park's marshes and ponds will likely yield plenty of animal sightings including jack rabbits, coyotes, and mink. There are also various boating, fishing, and hunting opportunities (in season).

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument contains the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse fossils in North America. The Monument is also internationally significant because it protects the world's richest known fossil deposits from a time period called the late Pliocene epoch, about 3 - 4 million years ago. Over 200 species of plants and animals have been found! These represent the last glimpse of time that existed before the Ice Age, and the earliest appearances of modern flora and fauna.