In Western Nebraska as the great plains give way to the foothills of the Rockies along the North Platte River, there are a set of bluffs called Scotts Bluff. They are named after a fur trader who died here in the early 1800s. The indigenous people called the bluffs "the hill that's hard to go around" and indeed the Westward trails avoided going between them until a road was built in the 1850s. The north became the preferred route for the Oregon Trail, and later the California and Utah trails. The Mormon Trail also remained to the north. Here you will find a the Scotts Bluff National Monument and Visitors Center and can learn more about the region.
Gering is a small town and the Wildcat Hills as a backdrop. Located between Colorado's Front Range, Yellowstone National Park and the Black Hills where you will find Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse and the Badlands. Also in Gering is the Legacy of the Plains Museum and close by is Chimney Rock National Historic Site.
