Scott's Bluff

Photographs: The view to the west from the top of Scott's Bluff; the view to the east from the top of Scott's Bluff (if you enlarge the picture you can see Chimney Rock in the distance); the pass through Scott's Bluff (with examples of different kinds of wagons used on the trail); Scott's Bluff from a distance.

Scott's Bluff is such an interesting area. It has a pass through the middle of it. It's about 23 miles west of Chimney Rock and you can see one from the other. The Oregon and California Trails went right through this pass (as does the modern-day road), but the Mormon Trail was much further north, so they only saw this formation from a distance. There is a very nice National Park Service visitors' center here. There is a road up to the top of the bluff or you can hike the trail. It's a beautiful place to stop. I think this is one example of a place where the Mormon Trail was an easier route than the other trails. This is also the area where I saw the rattlesnakes.