Did you know it was so large?
Western Nebraska boasts stunning scenery, like this bluff at Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Around Scottsbluff, western Nebraska's largest town, natural attractions and state parks stud the former frontier. Escape to a Wild West landscape of grasslands and buttes.
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Historic photos from Nebraska’s early days capture life in the 19th century, showcasing the struggles and achievements of its
I took a short break from traveling the Oregon Trail and spent a couple of days enjoying Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Scotts Bluff rises almost straight up from the surrounding land and is a remnant of high plains that were eroded away by wind and water over millions of years. A cap of hard limestone protected the bluff. It was an important landmark for the travelers along the Oregon Trail. After weeks of walking along the featureless plains they were now 1/3 of the way to Oregon and were nearing the foothills of the mountain ranges. During the 1930s young men working for the Civilian Conservation Corps built a road, from the visitor center to the top of the bluff, which is still in use today. Two short paved trails at the summit lead to overlooks of the valley. There are also three paved trails that start at the visitor center. One, which goes to the top of the bluff, is closed due to a landslide. Another goes to a section of the Oregon Trail wagon ruts. The last connects to another trail, the Monument Valley Pathway, for six miles total length. The visitor center has exhibits and two short films. The visitor center is accessible but the door opens out over sloped concrete making entry a little difficult. The south trail at the summit is accessible. The north trail has two very steep sections and drop offs. The trail to top of the bluff is accessible on the level portion. The trail to the wagon ruts is accessible for the first section but the next section is not paved and is very difficult to push along. The trail to the Monument Valley Pathway does not have a curb cut at the start making it a bit difficult to access. The parking lot has long RVs spaces. The road to the summit is limited to vehicles under 25’. An accessible shuttle bus is available. Watch for another landmark, Chimney Rock, about 20 miles east of Scotts Bluff. Park 41.82791, -103.70682
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Hi all, Dianne here. Our second day in Gering, Nebraska was spent at nearby Scotts Bluff National Monument. Scotts Bluff was a famous landmark for the wagon trains moving west on the Oregon Trail. I'll save the history lesson for later, but first a "trudge report": See the wind-ey trail going up, up, UP to the top of Scott's Bluff? If only this photo had audio with it, you would hear comments like this: "We're going all the way to the top??" "Huff, Puff -- What part of this do you think is fun? "YOU NEED A YOUNGER WIFE!!!" I admit to whining a good part of the way, between gasping for breath. In his defense, Roger did offer to turn back and drive to the top (see photo below showing the paved road -- even the road needed a tunnel!) Realizing that we hadn't had much exercise lately, and that the dogs (especially Bandido) needed some strenuous exercise, I decided to "suck it up" and trudge on. (Another factor was the cute shorts I'd just bought at Cabela's -- didn't want to get too fat to wear them before even cutting off the tags). Anyway, as usual, Roger was right and I'm glad we hiked it. We would have missed some beautiful scenery, had we just taken the drive. I'll just say that I enjoyed the hike back down a lot more than going up! What a beautiful day! Low 70s, sunshine and beautiful spring flowers everywhere. Bandido got to wear his backpack, and he and Chaplin both sported new bandanas. Roger got to sport his new Cabela's hat. To see a photo slideshow of the entire hike, you can click on the following link to my photobucket web album: http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DianneN/May%202011%20Scotts%20Bluff%20Hike/?albumview=slideshow After the hike we were all starving, so we had a picnic lunch outside the visitor's center. Roger and I took turns inside, and we both enjoyed the 12-minute movie recounting the history of this site. While Roger was inside taking his turn, I took the dogs on another short interpretive hike. I saw representations of the three types of covered wagons most people used to go west. When we got to the Platte River area, I dug out and re-read a very interesting book I'd bought last year at one of the national parks. It recounts diaries of women who made the trip on wagon trains during the 1840s - 1860s. After reading about the hardships they endured (including cooking outside over an open fire in the rain, deaths from cholera and childbirth, Indian attacks, walking 15 miles a day over mostly monotonous prairies) it meant a lot to me to walk just a bit of the actual ground they passed over. The short hike past the covered wagons led to a section of the original trail where wagon ruts are still visible after 150 years. The wagons had to pass single file through a bottleneck here at Scott's Bluff, and the wagon wheels wore ruts into the sandstone. Since we were nearby, we drove 16 miles to get a quick look at Chimney Rock, another milestone on the Oregon Trail. It is listed as a national historic site, but it is maintained by the Nebraska Historical Society, so our national park passes only allowed a discount here, not free admission. Another short movie in the visitor's center, and a view of Chimney Rock. This is as close as you are allowed to get to it. Here's a link to the book I read on Amazon, if you want more info. I know there are other pioneer diary books available, as well. Roger took about 800 photos of a very pretty sunset from our camp site. I'll let him pick through and decide which one to post! The pet photo of the day shows my handsome boys after our picnic, modeling their bandanas:
Nebraska offers breathtaking and surreal scenic views that seem almost unreal, as captured by local
Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. Rich with geological and paleontological history as well as human history, there is much to discover while exploring the 3,000 acres of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
The Top 10 attractions in the state for 2020 were tallied based on visitor numbers reported to the Nebraska Tourism Commission. Many of the attractions were closed for part of
Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. Rich with geological and paleontological history as well as human history, there is much to discover while exploring the 3,000 acres of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Three from the Road #21 – 2010 trip1 | Eagle Rock at Scotts Bluff National Monument, July 9, 2010 Long serving as a landmark for travelers from native peoples to those following the Oregon, Califor…
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Ranked #241 of 987 attractions in Nebraska. Been here too? Add it to your map!
Scotts Bluff National Monument is a pet friendly place to take a break during your road trip across Nebraska. All trails and overlooks are pet friendly.
