Peaceful Prairie Campsites

Peaceful Prairie Campsites is an excellent home base for exploring history, wildlife, archeology, and learning about the pioneers along the Oregon Trail during westward expansion. The Peaceful Prairie property shares a boundary line with Scotts Bluff National Monument, and offers private foot access to hiking experiences not available to the public. Scotts Bluff National Monument Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. Rich with geological and paleontological history as well as human history, there is much to discover while exploring the 3,000 acres of Scotts Bluff National Monument. Located 3 miles by car from the campsite, the visitor's center offers interactive exhibits describing how Native Americans, fur traders and emigrants to Oregon, California, and Utah all interacted with each other and the lands surrounding Scotts Bluff. Western art lovers will appreciation the William Henry Jackson collection on display. Jackson was a watercolorist and photographer who helped capture the history of the western United States in his works. His 1871 photographs of the Yellowstone region were a catalyst for creating Yellowstone National Park in 1872. A small portion of the collection is on display in the visitor center. Excellent hiking and a drive to the Summit are part of the experience the park offers visitors. Distance from the campsite to the visitor's center is 3 miles. Chimney Rock National Historic Site Visible for miles, Chimney Rock was more than a wonder of nature. It was also a significant landmark in measuring the emigrants' progress west. This natural feature was a "grand and splendid object" to emigrants who had never seen the geology of the American West. As they traveled alongside the North Platte River, they peered eagerly ahead for their first view of the rock. As such, it was mentioned in more emigrant diaries than any other landmark on the Oregon Trail. Viewing the rock is available from several places, including from the site's visitor center, which houses a museum with interpretive and interactive exhibits about this natural feature and the emigrant trails. It also contains a small theater with a video presentation about the great migration West and a bookstore. Modest admission is charged. Distance from the campsite to the museum is 24 miles. Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. You'll be captivated by indoor interactive displays, interpretive programming, shooting sports or from the exploration of 1,094 acres of wilderness. The park, which is situated high on a rocky escarpment in the Wildcat Hills, offers an escape to the region’s signature rugged topography and evergreen-studded canyons. Features include a Nature Center, Shooting Sports Complex, and a vast system of trails. An extraordinary view of the North Platte River Valley can be seen from the trails and Nature Center observation decks. Must purchase a Nebraska State Park permit visible on windshield of your car (day permits are $14). The park is easily accessible from Peaceful Prairie Campsites, just 10 miles south along Nebraska Highway 71. Legacy of the Plains Museum Located on the Oregon Trail, Legacy of the Plains Museum is a destination for people interested in stories of human and agricultural history in the North Platte Valley and High Plains. The new state-of-the-art, interactive exhibits focus on the archeology of Native Americans and Westward Expansion, the lives of pioneering settlers, this establishment of irrigation, the development of rural communities, the diversity of cultures on the High Plains, and the innovative technologies and cultural practices of raising animals and crops in a semi-arid environment. A new exhibit, The Japanese Hall, chronicles the stories of Japanese emigrants to the US, and the challenges they faced when they arrived here. Distance from the campsite to the visitor's center is 2.5 miles.