Important landmark in noting the emigrants' progress to the West [Bayard NE]…read more We didn't make it to the Visitor Center... they closed at 4:00p we were thinking they closed at 5:00p. I wanted to get my NP Passport book stamped but this landmark is managed by the Nebraska State Historical Society as part of a historic site and not the NPS so no stamps. Chimney Rock is visible for miles but we wanted to get close to it as much as we could. Anyway, we proceeded to return to our car when an employee came out from the building and said that we would be able to see Chimney Rock a little closer and pointed to the direction. We drove to another area called "Walk to the Rock" with lots of parking spaces. This was private property of the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation (NSHSF). We were welcomed by a volunteer and gave us the lowdown on the "pathway rules" including "if you see a rattlesnake..." ¯\_('~')_/¯ There were four different trails. We took Trail A (1.05 mi) which was the longest of the 4 and the trail that took us closest to the rock. It was a pleasant hike... we didn't encounter any rattlesnakes or other dangerous species. We took lots of pics. The Chimney Rock is a significant landmark to emigrants as they progressed West on the Oregon Trail. Review #3502

Passing through Nebraska and since Chimney Rock is on their state's welcome sign we had to check it…read moreout. I educated myself at the visitor center and learned how this historic site served as a major 19th-century landmark for Oregon, California, and Mormon pioneers. Experiencing part of history is always on my road trip itinerary. This location offers a visitor center with interactive exhibits, walking trails, and panoramic views. Worth the stop if you are in the area.

Call Your Bluff…read more Protected National Monument site that's over 3k-acres and is situated west of Gering, Nebraska. We visited here almost eight years ago on our epic road trip across the US, and I can't believe I forgot to review this place. The Good: *The bluff is an important landmark on the Oregon Trail and there's an Oregon Trail Museum at the base of the bluff. *There's a windy 1.6-mile drive up the Summit Rd to get to the top of Scotts Bluff. There were quite a few cars (the park draws in 100k visitors a year) in front of us, if I remember correctly. But I don't think it took that long to get to the top, because even if it did there some superb views along the way up. *Leashed pets are OK on trails *Free! The Meh: *Only four miles of hikable trails The Ugly: *I wish we had more time to explore and hike the trails, but we had a schedule to keep. Next time, Gadget! Conclusion: Great park that's worth a 1hr detour if you're headed along on this stretch of 80.

WOW - if you have a change to visit, GO! Such beauty!…read more - - - May, 2025 Visit - - - My wonderful wife and I were able to enjoy a getaway weekend, with a visit to Devils Tower, WY; we flew through Denver and drove to NE Wyoming. We stayed in Torrington, WY; as we woke up we looked at the map and realized how close we were to Scott's Bluff National Monument, so we decided to make a visit, and we're glad we did. - - - One of the signs at the Park / Monument shares that the Indians / the Native Americans called Scotts Bluff "Me-a-pa-te", or "hill that is hard to go around." Scotts Bluff is along the Oregon Trail, which runs through the Monument / Park. Given how flat the Nebraska plains are, and that this is 800 feet tall, you can see Scotts Bluff from about 100 miles away, and giben that the wagon trains made ~ 10-12 miles per day (or less), you could surely see it for 7-10 days before and after passing it. So... "hill the is hard to go around" is appropriate and accurate! - - - The Visitor's Center is nice and the NPS staff friendly and helpful. - - - There is a trail that you can walk up to wonderful views from the Bluff; along the way you may (or may not) be surprised to see some plants that could also be seen further west, in Joshua Tree and other National Parks - agave and yucca. The Monument is near a highway, so you may occasionally hear a little road noise, but it is infrequent and you're able to readily hear birds and bugs as you enjoy the hike. As we drove in, along Highway 26 we could see the Monument off in the distance. We then turned down a road to capture some photos; a few minutes later a farmer drove by and slowed and offered to show us the way to the Monument by driving us in "the back way" where we drove the Oregon Trail into the parking lot - wonderful! So, driving-wise, we recommend coming in via Hw 92... from Torrington... Hw 26 E to Mitchell to Hw 29 S to Hw 92 E to the "Old Oregon Trail Road" - - - The Monument towers so tall... Beautiful! And tall. There is an audio tour you can listen to your phone... the sings have the phone number to call and listen... this is a wonderful listen - thank you, National Park Service (NPS) for creating / providing this audio tour. - - - We followed the trail up to the top, to where it passes through the hand-made tunnel to the other side. We rose 400 feet in elevation and were blessed with a nice breeze and an amazing view. - - - When the US Mint made the state quarters, Nebraska selected Chimney Rock for their quarter; Chimney Rock is 20-23 miles from Scotts Bluff, AND is visible from the trail... so nice! - - - Thank you, National Park Service for maintaining Scotts Bluff National Monument, for us and for future generations! If you have a chance to visit, GO! ----- ----- -----

"Crazy-ass passion is the staple of life and persistence its nourishing force. Without them, you…read morecannot cross the trail." ― Rinker Buck, The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey **Please Note this visitor center is temporarily close for expansion/renovation at the time of my writing this. No timeline is available for it's re-opening but there is a temporary one setup in the meantime** Visitor center for Scotts Bluff that includes lots of historical displays and info about the area. Here's the highlights: -Free entrance to the park -Clean restrooms -Oregon Trail wagon train displays outside -Get your NPS Passport stamp -Filtered water bottle re-filler (not available during remodel) -Educational displays -Friendly and knowledgeable docents and rangers -Gift shop Must-stop for those visiting Scotts Bluff if for nothing else but a restroom break.

Small but interesting museum. Learned some new info. Gift shop was good also. Nothing out there but…read moreit was worth seeing.

This gem is a must-see. The way it is laid out, the type of engagement opportunities that are…read moreinteractive, and not just for kids. Information was presented in a way that it is easy to absorb and wasn't too much. We read, laughed, gasped and teared up at the history we learned from this fabulous museum. Top favorites: technology changes to the smart phone, dresses from each era, kitchen/home details and access to Staff was personable and helpful, eager to please.

If you want to find out about the history of western Nebraska, stop at this museum! There are…read moreterrific displays about pioneer life, Conestoga wagon, even divining for water. The museum is located near the entrance to the Scottsbluff National Monument national park. They have a display of Japanese that were early pioneers to the area. Very shortly a building built by Japanese pioneers called the Japanese Hall will be moved to the museum! One of my favorite displays was a collection of quilts. There was a newspaper quilt with old newspapers as filler for added warmth and a gorgeous cherry blossom quilt. Set aside at least a couple hours to see everything!

**June 2025: Sunday Morning Visit**…read more The city of Chadron is very quaint, but this Museum had a lot of really great artifacts and displays. I loved seeing many of the Native American tools, clothes, and ceremonial items as well as learning about gun powder, the different furs and . It was also really eye opening to learn about the fur trade and the way of living back in the day. This is a Small-Mediumish sized museum that's really well arranged. I spent about 90 minutes reading everything, watched the 10 minute video, and checked out the outside fur trade post reproduction as well as the gift shop. For $6 Adult Admission I think it was a great place to check out!

Went Aug 2025 and firstly the closing hour is 5pm in the summer and 4pm in the winter. The museum…read morevolunteer we talked to hadn't heard of Yelp so I don't expect the hours to be adjusted here. My family and I enjoyed the visit but from a historical perspective we would have liked to seen more native history in fur trade from before the settlers. They had a few panels addressing it but we personally would have liked more. They have a AAA discount for entry. The museum mostly covers 1600-1900 but 1800s primarily. As a blacksmith it was really nice to see many iron and blade works up close. It was fun to see they had antique pieces and furs to buy in the gift shop which made it unique to a museum gift shop.

Better call to make sure it is open....... We drove way out of our way to go and they CLOSED LAST…read moreWEEK! Lady at counter was so cold almost made me shiver as we walked out! She could have at least gave us a brochure instead of the stink eye!

Knowledgeable and welcoming staff! The two-level museum gives a great overview of the history Fort…read moreRobinson. The gift shop is stocked with many different books on Nebraskans history as well as gifts for little ones.

This museum has a bit of everything. It's a place clearly run off of love of local volunteers for…read morethe community. They cover homestead to the first Macintosh. It's a good place to bring a family and let everyone go look at what they think is interesting. Their volunteers are also very kind and happy to help. If a building is locked up they'll unlock it for you. Just gotta ask and maybe you'll accidentally get a private tour of the place . They mentioned in fall they have some events too so if you're interested give them a call for details.

So many things! We just spent a couple of hours and really enjoyed the diversity of the exhibits. A…read morelittle something for everyone. The docent had such interesting information.