Hudson-Meng Education & Research Center Tours

Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands

Located on the beautiful Oglala National Grassland in northwestern Nebraska, the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center houses one of the most important paleo-archeological discoveries in North America. Visitors can tour the bonebed enclosure and discover the mysterious past of the Bison antiquus (extinct bison) that died here.

A rancher first brought attention to the bonebed in 1954. This started an ongoing quest to discover what caused the death of so many bison. Archeologists continue to research the exact nature of past events and the role that ancient Paleo-Indian people may have played in them. While theories are plentiful, there is still no clear answer to the mystery. The Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center’s Bison Bonebed Tour encourages visitors to develop their own ideas based on the evidence presented.

The Bison Trail connects the Hudson-Meng visitor center to Toadstool Geologic Park. This is an unforgettable three-mile (one way) hike across the Oglala Grassland. Toadstool Geologic Park is well-known for its unusual rock formations and fossils. The natural history dates as far back as 30 million years ago.

The Hudson-Meng visitor center is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, Fridays and Saturdays only, from 9 am to 4:00 pm. School Groups wanting a tour during regularly scheduled closed periods (Monday-Thursday and the off season) are able to request a tour (Minimum 1 week before) by calling the Pine Ridge Ranger District at (308)432-0300

Located on the beautiful Oglala National Grassland in northwestern Nebraska, the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center houses one of the most important paleo-archeological discoveries in North America. Visitors can tour the bonebed enclosure and discover the mysterious past of the Bison antiquus (extinct bison) that died here.

A rancher first brought attention to the bonebed in 1954. This started an ongoing quest to discover what caused the death of so many bison. Archeologists continue to research the exact nature of past events and the role that ancient Paleo-Indian people may have played in them. While theories are plentiful, there is still no clear answer to the mystery. The Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center’s Bison Bonebed Tour encourages visitors to develop their own ideas based on the evidence presented.

The Bison Trail connects the Hudson-Meng visitor center to Toadstool Geologic Park. This is an unforgettable three-mile (one way) hike across the Oglala Grassland. Toadstool Geologic Park is well-known for its unusual rock formations and fossils. The natural history dates as far back as 30 million years ago.

The Hudson-Meng visitor center is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, Fridays and Saturdays only, from 9 am to 4:00 pm. School Groups wanting a tour during regularly scheduled closed periods (Monday-Thursday and the off season) are able to request a tour (Minimum 1 week before) by calling the Pine Ridge Ranger District at (308)432-0300

Notifications and Alerts

Need to Know

Changes and Cancellations

Reservations may be cancelled up until 24-hours before the scheduled tour start time for a full refund less the non-refundable per-ticket reservation fee. Refunds will not be given for tours cancelled or modified after this time.

Contact Information

Mailing Address

1811 Meng Drive Crawford NE 69339

Phone Number

308-432-0300

Available Tours and Tickets

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