Chimney Rock National Historic Site – Bayard, Nebraska

I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, so all my knowledge of the westward homesteading movement in the United States came from playing the Oregon Trail game during computer lab hours at elementary school. Chimney Rock is iconic in the game; it’s one of the first milestones you’ll pass on your way west. Along the real Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock was significant for the pioneers, because once they spotted it, they knew they were going the right way.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site in Nebraska – Details

Location:
9822 County Rd 75, Bayard, NE 69334

Cost: It’s $3 per adult to enter the museum and visitor center – this is labeled as a “National Historic Site” but it is ran by the Nebraska Historical Society – thus, you cannot use your “America the Beautiful” National Park Pass here. However, if you just want to visit the gift shop, which is what we did, it’s free. It’s also free if you just want to snap some photos.

Hours: The visitor center/museum/gift shop is open from 9am-5pm year round.

Time Commitment: If you’re skipping the museum, like we did, maybe 10-15 minutes. That’s enough time to snap pictures, hit up the bathrooms, and check out the gift shop. There really isn’t much to do here, but we’ll get to that later.

Visiting Chimney Rock National Historic Site

If you’re doing a trip following the old Oregon Trail route as a road trip, Chimney Rock National Historic Site is right along the way. When my sister and I visited, we weren’t doing that – we were just trying to get to Casper, Wyoming from Omaha, Nebraska and this was the best route. So in other words, Bayard, Nebraska (where this site is located) is in the absolute middle of nowhere and you have to deliberately want to go here.

We didn’t even know were were on the old Oregon Trail route until we spotted this spire rising up from the North Platte River Valley while driving by. Of course, I recognized it right away as the Chimney Rock, being the crazy Oregon Trail gamer that I was. We were spending the night at a hotel in Scottsbluff, so the next morning, we backtracked a little and visited Chimney Rock National Historic Site.

Other than reading the exhibits in the museum, there isn’t much to do here except walk around the outside of the building and snap a photo of Chimney Rock itself. Chimney Rock is on private property so there are no hiking trails taking you to closer. You’ll want to bring a zoom lens to get good photos. This place is supposedly crawling with rattlesnakes (there are tons of signs around warning you of these vicious reptiles), but we visited in winter.

And that’s all there is to say about this place. It’s worth a quick stop, even just for a dose of ’80s nostalgia. So go ahead, set your pace to ‘grueling’, stock your wagon with 100 pounds of freshly killed bison meat, and cross your fingers no one in your party dies of dysentery, and stop off at the Chimney Rock National Historic Site if you’re in in the area.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site – Final Thoughts

Pros:
If you grew up playing the Oregon Trail game, it’s fun seeing the real Chimney Rock
Very quick road trip stop

Cons:
Museum could get very expensive if you’re traveling with a large family.
“America the Beautiful” pass not accepted for museum admission.
Can’t get close to the rock