Landing at Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scottsbluff puts you right in the middle of things, with places like Gering, Alliance, and Cheyenne all close by. Scottsbluff sits on the North Platte River under the towering bluffs that guided Oregon Trail wagons west, in a valley of sugar beet and corn fields at the edge of the High Plains. It feels like a Western town with a friendly Midwestern streak, where the landmark on the horizon is the same one pioneers wrote home about. Standout experiences around Scottsbluff: - Drive or hike to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument for views over the whole valley - See Chimney Rock, the most famous landmark on the Oregon Trail, a short drive east - Explore pioneer and farm history at the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering - Visit the animals at Riverside Discovery Center, the local zoo - Hike the pine canyons of Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area - Float or fish the North Platte River - Join Oregon Trail Days in Gering each July for parades and a chili cookoff - Browse downtown Scottsbluff shops and the Midwest Theater marquee Scottsbluff is the hub of the Nebraska panhandle. Gering is just across the river, Alliance and Carhenge are about an hour north, and Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming is about an hour west. Agate Fossil Beds is an hour north, and Cheyenne is roughly an hour and 45 minutes southwest. Local diners serve chili with cinnamon rolls, a plains tradition worth trying, and the bluffs glow best at sunset in late summer. Come for the trail history and the wide-open sky.