Summit Rest Monument in Nebraska's Panhandle
Located in the scenic Nebraska Panhandle, near the town of Kimball, lies the historic Summit Rest Monument, a site of great cultural and geographical significance. Standing at 5,438 feet above sea level, Summit Rest is a lesser-known roadside attraction along the historic Lincoln Highway, now part of US-30. While many Nebraska landmarks get attention for their natural or man-made features, Summit Rest has more subtle offerings as the highest point in the panhandle, once prominently displayed on maps.
The site has four plaques at the base of the brick obelisk, showing a different vista in each of the four directions, identifying where local sites of interest sit including Courthouse Rock and the Sutherland Reservoir. Offering impressive views for miles around on a clear day, Summit Rest Monument not only provides tourists with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape but also serves as a historical crossroads, where settlers once marked their journey on the famous Lincoln Highway.
Nebraska as a whole is steeped in the history of pioneering, yet within the panhandle region there lies the palpable echoes of ancient lives of Paleolithic peoples at Courthouse and Jail rocks. The distinctive rock formations, visible to travelers on their journeys across the region, lead straight to an entry into Scotts Bluff National Monument. This National Monument, home to over 3,000 acres of parkland, boasts the unique blend of stunning vistas and a blend of fossil discoveries.
Travelers along this part of the Lincoln Highway began experiencing less crowded monuments and unique panoramic experiences not seen at previous popular landmarks as early as the late 19th century. A traveler who reaches Summit Rest during sunrise or sunset might experience breathtaking views through an atmospheric display of vibrant and soft hues across these hills and formations rarely witnessed.
No longer primarily served as a pivotal driving milestone along an epic continental United States motor run across US-30 it now pulls back into notice of off the beaten path international travelers engaging Nebraska Panhandle history as roadside attractions featuring one of many prominent symbols still worth engaging with that history while even witnessing ancient glacial age till plains form expansive grand vistas stretching from the Great Plains to the Wild West's Wyoming foothold of Rocky Mountains across Western Nebraska.
The site has four plaques at the base of the brick obelisk, showing a different vista in each of the four directions, identifying where local sites of interest sit including Courthouse Rock and the Sutherland Reservoir. Offering impressive views for miles around on a clear day, Summit Rest Monument not only provides tourists with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape but also serves as a historical crossroads, where settlers once marked their journey on the famous Lincoln Highway.
Nebraska as a whole is steeped in the history of pioneering, yet within the panhandle region there lies the palpable echoes of ancient lives of Paleolithic peoples at Courthouse and Jail rocks. The distinctive rock formations, visible to travelers on their journeys across the region, lead straight to an entry into Scotts Bluff National Monument. This National Monument, home to over 3,000 acres of parkland, boasts the unique blend of stunning vistas and a blend of fossil discoveries.
Travelers along this part of the Lincoln Highway began experiencing less crowded monuments and unique panoramic experiences not seen at previous popular landmarks as early as the late 19th century. A traveler who reaches Summit Rest during sunrise or sunset might experience breathtaking views through an atmospheric display of vibrant and soft hues across these hills and formations rarely witnessed.
No longer primarily served as a pivotal driving milestone along an epic continental United States motor run across US-30 it now pulls back into notice of off the beaten path international travelers engaging Nebraska Panhandle history as roadside attractions featuring one of many prominent symbols still worth engaging with that history while even witnessing ancient glacial age till plains form expansive grand vistas stretching from the Great Plains to the Wild West's Wyoming foothold of Rocky Mountains across Western Nebraska.
