The “Badlands” of Scotts Bluff National Monument These deeply eroded gullies between the bluffs and the North Platte River proved to be an impassable barrier for the wagons of the western emigrants. The only choice was to detour away from the river, first through Robidoux Pass, 8 miles (12,872km) to the south, and later through Mitchell Pass, just west of present day Monument Headquarters.

The “Badlands” of Scotts Bluff National Monument

These deeply eroded gullies between the bluffs and the North Platte River proved to be an impassable barrier for the wagons of the western emigrants. The only choice was to detour away from the river, first through Robidoux Pass, 8 miles (12,872km) to the south, and later through Mitchell Pass, just west of present day Monument Headquarters.