Scotts Bluff, Nebraska

In far western Nebraska, just 20 miles from the Wyoming border, Scotts Bluff was a prominent landmark for early pioneer settlers traveling the Oregon Trail. Scotts Bluff National Monument preserves 3,000 acres which includes the bluff, Mitchell Pass and the surrounding high prairie.

There is a visitor center with an information desk, gift shop, restrooms, and a museum which celebrates the Oregon, Mormon and California Trails. A unique feature of the museum is that it is a repository of the artwork of William Henry Jackson, an early photographer and painter of the American West. There are 63 original watercolors, the largest single collection of Jackson's works.

Visitors may also drive the summit road to the top of Scotts Bluff, or the more adventureous will want to hike the 1.6 mile Saddle Rock Trail to the summit, for outstanding views of the valley below. An actual remnant of the old Oregon Trail may be seen by taking a half-mile Oregon Trail Path from the Visitor Center.