TheWildcat Hills are anescarpment between theNorth Platte River andPumpkin Creek in the westernPanhandle, in the state ofNebraska in theGreat Plains region of the United States. Located inBanner,Morrill, andScotts Bluff counties, the high tableland between the streams has been eroded by wind and water into a region of forestedbuttes, ridges andcanyons that rise 150 to 300 m (490 to 980 ft) above the surrounding landscape.
Chimney Rock,Scotts Bluff, andCourthouse and Jail Rocks are outcrops along the northern and western edges of the Wildcat Hills.
The plant and animal life in the Wildcat Hills is atypical for Nebraska; the ecology more resembles that of theLaramie Mountains, 60 miles to the west. The dominant tree in the region is theponderosa pine.Bighorn sheep,pronghorn,elk,mule deer, andwild turkeys live in and around the hills.
Cougars (mountain lions), which had beenextirpated from the region around 1900, returned to the area in the early 1990s. The Wildcat Hills (along with thePine Ridge), are the only areas in Nebraska with a permanent breeding cougar population.[1]
TheEmigrant Trail passed through the northern Wildcat Hills atRobidoux Pass and after 1851, atMitchell Pass; the rock formations were frequently mentioned in emigrant journals and letters. TheNebraska Game and Parks Commission acquired land for the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area41°42′08″N103°40′02″W / 41.70222°N 103.66722°W /41.70222; -103.66722 in stages between 1929 and 1980; the Wildcat Hills Nature Center, featuring a half-mile boardwalk trail, opened in 1995. Today, the Wildcat Hills are a popular hiking and wildlife viewing destination.
