Heritage Scenic Highway Road Trip

The 239-mile Heritage Scenic Highway (US 136)—mostly a two-lane road—takes you through Nebraska prairie land and farm country. Beginning at the Missouri River, the byway traces a route similar to early pioneers. The Homestead National Monument Of America as well as sites for a Pony Express station and novelist Willa Cather’s home are on or near the route.

The Heritage Scenic Highway begins with a highlight from the very start: crossing the bridge over the Missouri River into Nebraska. With the exception of a few small towns—Auburn, Beatrice, Franklin and Red Cloud, for example—this route’s scenery features mostly fields and prairies, with an occasional silo and farmhouse.