Courthouse, Jail and Chimney Rocks

Nice weather was forecast for the day, and so I decided to get out and do some exploring. Even though I have been to both sites before, I opted to head out to Courthouse/Jail Rocks and Chimney Rock. It was a chilly but clear morning as I set out headed east on Nebraska Highway 88 to my first stop of the day, Seybolt Park,

the home of Courthouse and Jail Rocks.

I parked at the turnaround parking area and headed over to the rocks, famous landmarks on the Emigrant Trails. Reading emigrant journals of the 1840s through 1860s, it's clear that seeing these two rocks was a major achievement for the pioneers. It meant that no longer would they be traveling along the mostly flat plains, but that they would be headed into the mountains. I circumnavigated Courthouse Rock,

admiring the views

and looking for emigrant inscriptions. I found a few, including  Ike Bettelyoun

CW Kirby,

 and a few others.

I opted not to climb to the top of Courthouse Rock, as I've read the former route to the summit is badly eroded. I have, however, climbed it back in 2006.

From Courthouse/Jail rocks, I headed west towards perhaps the most famous landmark on the Oregon Trail: Chimney Rock. The visitor center there is currently closed for a renovation project, but I was able to admire the view from a road that leads to the nearby Chimney Rock Cemetery.

From there I traveled further west back to Scottsbluff, roughly following the Oregon Trail.