Scotts Bluff NM protects an important logistical marker that jutted (and still juts) dramatically above the plains for travelers on the Oregon, California, and Pony Express Trails. Two separate bluffs, with an area of badlands, are maintained by the park service, and three hikes, two on the summit and one that walks to the summit from the visitor center (Saddle Rock, and definitely worth doing!) provide a nice sampling of scenic views and flora and fauna.
Chimney Rock (about 25 miles east of Scotts Bluff) is another important marker on those same trails, one that when first seen by traveling emigrants happily confirmed that they were indeed traversing the correct path westward. This one is a little more dramatic, as you will see below.
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