Last updated: January 29, 2025
Thing to Do
Scotts Bluff Cell Phone Audio Tour
NPS
Visitors to Scotts Bluff National Monument can learn more about the unique natural and cultural history of this landmark on the plains by taking a Cell Phone Audio Tour. The tour is free, except for your normal cellphone plan minutes.
Dial 308-221-3020 to get started on the tour. Even though the stops are numbered, visitors can choose any stop in any order to accommodate their visit.
Use the following keys to navigate through the tour:
1 – Rewind
2 - Pause/Play
3 - Fast Forward
*0 - Feedback
The information contained on the Cell Phone Audio Tour can also be accessed through the Official National Park Service App or by clicking on the links for the different stops below. From the app, you may listen to an audio recording of the Cell Phone Tour stops, or read a transcript of each audio recording.
The tour is split into two sections, each with six stops. The first section follows the Saddle Rock Trail and features these six stops:
1. Start of the Saddle Rock Trail
2. Mixed-grass Prairie
3. Geology and Scotts Spring
4. Erosion and Tunnel
5. Geologic Formations
6. View of the Valley from the Top
The second section follows the Oregon Trail Pathway and features these six stops:
7. Start of the Oregon Trail Tour
8. History of the Oregon Trail
9. Emigrant Wagons
10. Mitchell Pass
11. Emigrant Wagon Route
12. William Henry Jackson Campsite
Visitors are encouraged to leave feedback after their tour. Press "*0" at any time to record your audio feedback. Your valuable feedback will help us to enhance the audio tour and will be greatly appreciated.
Details
Duration
5-150 Minutes
The Scotts Bluff Cell Phone Audio Tour is split into two sections. The first section features 6 stops and follows the Saddle Rock Trail 1.6 miles to the summit of Scotts Bluff. The second section features 6 stops and follows the Oregon Trail Pathway 1 mile round-trip. Visitors can listen to all twelve parts of the tour or choose any individual option, depending on time available. Each stop's narration is between 2 to 6 minutes. Guests can either call in to the tour from outside of the area or they can follow the tour stops along the trail(s).
Activity
Self-Guided Tours - Walking
You may walk to the various stops on the cell phone tour to get a better view of the scene that the tour stops describe. However, if you are unable to walk the trails or visit the monument, you may call in to the tour from the comfort of your home.
Pets Allowed
Yes
Leashed pets are permitted on all the trails at Scotts Bluff National Monument. Please clean up after your pet.
Activity Fee
No
Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.
Location
Scotts Bluff National Monument Visitor Center
Both of the two sections of the Cell Phone Audio Tour start just outside the Scotts Bluff National Monument visitor center. The Saddle Rock portion of the tour starts on the sidewalk to the east of the visitor center entrance. The Oregon Trail Pathway portion of the tour starts just west of the visitor center. From the visitor center entrance, cross the Summit Road at the marked crosswalk and approach the replica covered wagons.
Reservations
No
Season
Year Round
The Cell Phone Audio Tour can be accessed at any time. If you plan on hiking the monument trails to the stops on the tour, please be aware that weather conditions or rock fall may close portions of the trail or render them difficult to traverse.
Time of Day
Day
The audio portion of the Cell Phone Audio Tour may be accessed at any time of the day. However, if you plan on hiking to the different stops on the trail, please be aware that monument grounds and trails are only open from sunrise until sunset.
Accessibility Information
The Saddle Rock Trail is asphalt paved and 1.6 miles long (2.4 km). It leads from the visitor center parking lot to the top of Scotts Bluff. The first 700 yards (630 meters) is accessible for a wheelchair as it crosses prairie grasslands to a juniper ravine near the base of the bluff. Beyond this point is not recommended for wheelchair use as the trail rises steeply for over 1700 yards (1554 meters) with sharp dropoffs.
The Oregon Trail Pathway is a partially paved trail west of the museum. Fifty yards (45 meters) into the trail you come to the eroded original Oregon Trail depressions (swales). Along the way you pass three covered wagon replicas. From the east end of the trail depressions, the trail is unpaved for 380 yards. The paved trail then resumes. The next 106 yards (97 meters) is uphill with a 13% grade. The Jackson campsite is approximately 107 yards (98 meters) further.
A written transcript of the audio tour is available on the Official National Park Service App.
The Oregon Trail Pathway is a partially paved trail west of the museum. Fifty yards (45 meters) into the trail you come to the eroded original Oregon Trail depressions (swales). Along the way you pass three covered wagon replicas. From the east end of the trail depressions, the trail is unpaved for 380 yards. The paved trail then resumes. The next 106 yards (97 meters) is uphill with a 13% grade. The Jackson campsite is approximately 107 yards (98 meters) further.
A written transcript of the audio tour is available on the Official National Park Service App.