oregon trail ruts & register cliff

On route for Lusk for the night we detoured to Guernsey, first to see the ruts cut by the wagon wheels through the limestone as they trekked west. Looking at the terrain one wondered at the stamina of these early settlers. As it was late May we saw our first wild flowers on this holiday ranging from mountain phlox, Convolvulus cneorum and evening primroses in shades different from those we grow at home. Went on to Register Cliff which also has interesting information boards detailing the history and again it's worth making the detour of several miles there and back off the main road. Sort of thing that would even interest teenagers and perhaps get their heads out of their I-pads!

Small place with just a few visible, but deep, trail ruts. Lots of informational plaquards and plenty of nice scenery to photograph. There is a sidewalk/walking trail that does a short loop. You could see this all in less than an hour. I did enjoy it....lots of history in this area!

While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, a history buff will be ecstatic. To see those wagon ruts and walk where they walked is indescribable to me. Gives you a whole new respect for those pioneers. I loved it

Nice little trip to check out names on the cliff from long ago (and sadly morons who feel they need to write on it more recently) and the ruts are pretty remarkable. Gets hot in the summer, but a nice drive and short walk around.

This is really just a short stop but it is amazing in its way. While it's a state historic site it is unmanned so you just walk up the sidewalk from the parking lot to the ruts. There are a few interpretive signs along the way but mostly just here to see the ruts. But you get to do more than just see the ruts - you can go down and walk where the wagons rolled that made those ruts. It's amazing both how deep the ruts are and how narrow. The wagons must have had little clearance on either side.

Two free stops well worth the time. They are 20 or so miles off I25 in the town of Guernsey but are worth it if you have the time. Just follow the signs on the main highway through town and head south just a bit past the edge of town. Signs will direct you either west to the Ruts or east to the Register Cliff. At the Oregon Trail Ruts site, a nice trail takes you to the top of the hill, where wagon wheels carved deep ruts into the soft sandstone. These are the best ruts still visible along the entire Oregon Trail.Register Cliff is also fascinating. Through the years, pioneers camped here and carved their names and dates into the cliff. Of course, many who have the need to ruin a historical site have done the same thing. Too bad, but down the trail to the left is a large section that has been fenced off to protect the names.One piece of advice: If you come in from the west, there is a sign at the edge of town right by the river. It points you immediately to the south, along the river. This is very misleading. We drove through this neighborhood twice and never found the sites. Only as we drove further into town did we see an accurate sign that took us right there. Also, the sign said to stop at the visitor center on main street. The building must not be marked well or we didn't look in the correct place, because we could not find it.

Walking the trail gives you a humbling appreciation for the journey of the OT emigrants. Follow the ruts that run all up and down the hillside. Or a paved path makes for an easy walk alongside the trail. Recommend visiting Ft Laramie which was a stop for OT emigrants first, then stop at Register Cliff to see where many etched their names, then, finally, you'll fully appreciate the amazing Oregon Trail journey at the Guernsey Ruts.

To see and follow the tracks of the early settlers was a great experience. To have the wagon ruts preserved is really special. The Register Cliff also was very interesting.

Interesting and very informative. Really gave us a feel for the hardship these people endured and a huge respect for their fortitude. Seeing the names etched into Register Cliff gave me the shivers. Highly recommend traveling on to Independence Rock, too.

Nicely kept walking path leads you up to the permanent ruts left by travelers on the Oregon Trail. Lots of informative signs to tell you about the trail. Nice view at the top of the trail also. Good detour to get out, stretch your legs, picnic, and learn about an important part of history. This is a little bit off the highway...watch for the signs and keep going. They'll take you right to the ruts and register cliff. Make sure you have enough time to detour off the highway though, give yourself at least 45 minutes to an hour (round trip).

The Oregon Trail Ruts were a nice little stop along the way to South Dakota. There's a little trail where you can see the ruts. It's not more than a 20 minute stop but well worth doing and imagining what it must have been like for the settlers of this great land!

Great place! We visited the trail ruts and Register Cliff. No sign by the main road and could be better marked. Dirt road leading out to sites. Awesome piece of American history!

We visited both sites as stop offs on a journey up through Wyoming. The ruts are impressive and cannot fail to make you think of the people who set off on all the pic trails West. It is only a short walk from the car park and is open to walk upon. Register cliff is equally thought-provoking though there are definetely some non-genuine names and dates in situ. Don't miss the potato store as it gives an insight into the inginuity of those who had to find ways of surviving along the Oregon Trail. Good signage and information at both sites and toilets at the trail ruts too!

We stopped at several location to see Oregon Trail remnants across the midwest and the ones in Guernsey are the best ones we found by a long shot. They are deeply scarred and you can imagine for just a moment that oxen and a wagon are going to come up the trail. The state has done an excellent job of making the site accessible from building ramps up to the ruts to installing interpretive signs.The ruts are a little outside of town and across the river. If you start in the center of town there are signs pointing the way. The ruts are on top of a small hill so be prepared for a short walk although it was only about 1/8 mile.The ruts are as much as 3-4 feet deep at the crest of the hill.After seeing the ruts take a short drive of a couple of miles to Register Cliff. It has a separate post on Trip Advisor so I won't review it here, but I do recommend that you take the time to see both.

We stopped here on our way along the Oregon Trail with our 2 boys. It is a little tricky finding the sites, but if you come along the main road in Guernsey, you will find it. The ruts are really neat, with nice walkways and interpretive signs. If you follow the ruts over the top of the hill, you can see the faint outline of the trail coming across the golf course along the Platte River from Register Cliff. The history is palpable here. There are even more names on Register Cliff than on Independence rock. The roads are gravel, but the scenery is really nice, and one can see the area that everyone camped, and almost visualize the wagons and the people. It is a moving experience.