Scotts Bluff National Monument

About this place

Scotts Bluff National Monument lies west of the city of Gering in western Nebraska, about 4 km in a straight line from it. It protects more than 1,200 hectares of historic overland trail remnants, mixed-grass prairie, rugged badlands, towering bluffs and riverside along the North Platte River, and draws more than 100,000 visitors a year. The north bluff is named after Hiram Scott, a clerk for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who died near it in 1828. It was an important landmark on the Oregon, California and Pony Express trails; more than 250,000 westward emigrants passed it between 1843 and 1869, and it was the second most mentioned landmark in pioneers' diaries. The monument includes two bluffs, South Bluff and the northern Scotts Bluff, and five major outcrops, among them Dome Rock, Eagle Rock and Saddle Rock. Pale cliffs of sandstone and clay rise above green and golden prairie, dropping into eroded badlands. A road climbs to the top of the bluff, where the view stretches over the North Platte valley, towns and fields, and at its foot replica covered wagons stand on a preserved stretch of the old trail. Visiting is free, and the summit is reached by the summit road or a walking trail. It is windy on top and hot in summer, so bring water and a hat.