Scenic Routes of Iowa

Aside from the standard Interstate, US, state, and county road markers, you will find several other markers along Iowa's highways designating scenic and historic routes. If you have additional information or routes to add to this list, please let me know.

Sources cited include the state highway map, the DeLorme Iowa Atlas and Gazetter, newspaper articles, and brochures on Iowa's scenic byways.

State Scenic Byways
	In August of 1993, Iowa state officials designated four routes as "Scenic Byways" as an attempt to boost tourism (no doubt that they were reeling from the floods that hit Iowa that summer). The Grant Wood, River Bluffs, Western Skies, and Woodlands (later renamed Historic Hills) Scenic Byways were the original four. The Iowa River Valley Scenic Byway was added in 1998, and on July 11, 2000, the Driftless Area Scenic Byway and Old O'Brien Glacial Trail were designated while two new segments were added to the River Bluffs Scenic Byway. The Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway was dedicated on July 14, 2002. All of them are marked by special "Iowa Scenic Byway" signs like the one shown here.
	Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway
	This 32-mile loop in Delaware County starts and ends in Hopkinton. It follows County Roads D47, X31, D42, and X29; mostly-unpaved 267th Street; County Road X21; and County Road D5X from Hopkinton toward Manchester. South of Manchester it turns onto unpaved 221st Street before going northward to County Road D22 (old US 20) via 205th Avenue (old IA 116 (I)). From that point it follows D22 and IA 38 back to Hopkinton.
	Driftless Area Scenic Byway
	This follows 100 miles of state and county roads between Postville and IA 76 in Allamakee County. Specifically, it follows: County Road B38, a series of unpaved roads (Smithfield Road, Big Foot Road, and Linton Drive) along the Yellow River, and Old Sixteen Road (also unpaved) from Postville to IA 76 IA 76 and County Road B25 to Harpers Ferry County Roads X52 and A52 from Harpers Ferry to Waukon IA 9 from Waukon to Lansing IA 26 from Lansing to New Albin County Road A26 along the Upper Iowa River to the junction with IA 76.
	Grant Wood Scenic Byway
	This 60-mile route starts in Anamosa, birthplace of Iowa's most famous artist, and runs eastward to the Mississippi River. It follows: IA 64 from Anamosa to Maquoketa IA 62 from Maquoketa to Andrew (home of Iowa's first governor) County Road E17 from Andrew to Springbrook County Road Z15 from Springbrook to Bellevue A branch of this route runs along US 61 and County Road Y31 (former IA 428) from Maquoketa to Maquoketa Caves State Park, and County Roads Y31 and E17 eastward to Andrew.
	Historic Hills Scenic Byway
	This is a 104-mile route through southeast Iowa, passing through several state forests and the villages of Van Buren County (including Keosauqua and Bentonsport). It was known as the Woodlands Scenic Byway before it was renamed in April of 2006. (The official website is here.) It follows: County Roads T61 and T7J (unpaved) from US 34 north of Blakesburg to Drakesville The former IA 273 and US 63 from Drakesville to Bloomfield County Road J40 from Bloomfield through Keosauqua to Bonaparte County Road W40 and IA 2 from Bonaparte to Donnellson A branch route, County Road J3T from Moravia to Drakesville, was added to the byway at the same time that it was renamed.
	Iowa River Valley Scenic Byway
	This starts near the Meskwaki settlement, runs through the Amana Colonies, and ends in Marengo. The byway follows: County Roads T47 and E49 (old US 30) from US 30 through Montour to Tama US 63 and County Road E64 from Tama to Chelsea County Road E66 from Chelsea to Belle Plaine IA 21 and IA 212 from Belle Plaine to Marengo US 6 and US 151 from Marengo to Amana IA 220 and County Road F15 from Amana back westward to Marengo.
	Old O'Brien Glacial Trail
	This 36-mile loop in northwest Iowa starts and ends at the intersection of IA 10 and Clay County Road M36 north of Linn Grove. It follows M36 southward to Buena Vista County Road C16, and C16 westward to Cherokee County Road M12 before joining IA 10 again southeast of Sutherland; it runs eastward along IA 10 to the M36 intersection.
	River Bluffs Scenic Byway
	Starting and ending at Marquette, this 100-mile loop runs through the hills of northeast Iowa. Among the attractions along this route are Montauk (a former governor's home, located at Clermont) and the Volga River State Recreation Area. The route follows: US 18, US 52, and IA 13 from Marquette to Elkader IA 13 and County Road C24 from Elkader to Fayette IA 150 from Fayette to West Union, then County Roads W42 and B40 to Clermont County Roads B60 from Clermont to St. Olaf County Road B65, IA 13, and US 18 from St. Olaf back to Marquette. A segment of County Road B40 between IA 150 near Eldorado and US 18 at Clermont (a paved alternative to a gravel segment) and a 20-mile branch following County Roads X3C and C7X between Elkader and Guttenberg were both added to the route in 2000.
	Western Skies Scenic Byway
	This 105-mile route through western Iowa is advertised as "the road less traveled." Attractions along this route include the De Soto National Wildlife Refuge and the Danish communities of Kimballton and Elk Horn. The route follows: County Road P28 from I-80 at Stuart (exit #93) to IA 44 at Panora IA 44 from Panora westward to US 30 via Guthrie Center, Kimballton, and Harlan. US 30 from the IA 44 junction to I-29 (exit #75) at Missouri Valley. One branch of the route runs from US 59 north of Harlan and County Road F32 through Westphalia and Panama to US 30 at Woodbine; it then continues westward along US 30. Another branch of the route runs from Kimballton through Elk Horn to I-80 (exit #54) via IA 173.

Other Scenic Routes and Historic Trails

Amana Colonies Trail
	This circular route simply follows US 6, US 151, and IA 220 through the Amana Colonies. It is marked with rectangular brown signs with the name of the route in white text.
Cody Trail
	A new 26-mile trail appeared in northern Scott County, birthplace of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, during the spring of 1999. It follows: County Road Y64 between Eldridge and Long Grove County Road F41 between Long Grove and Park View Scott Park Road (old US 61), 290th Street (St. Ann's Road), County Road Z16, and County Road F33 between Park View and McCausland County Roads Z30 and F51 between McCausland and US 67 at Le Claire
Dragoon Trail
	This trail in the Des Moines River valley commemorates the path of the 1835 U.S. Dragoons (the country's first mounted infantry unit). It starts with two branches originating from Fort Dodge and Webster City that join near Stratford; from there it runs through Boone and Des Moines to the Red Rock Dam between Pella and Knoxville. The trail contains several signed alternate routes. A promotional brochure that was published in May 1994 contains a map of the route and all of its alternates. Using that and the Iowa DOT's PDF county maps to pinpoint rural street names and road surfaces (paved unless otherwise noted), the Dragoon Trail follows: Fort Dodge to Stratford, starting at the Fort Museum in Fort Dodge: Kenyon Road, Avenue C, Avenue B, Dewey Place, Lainson Avenue, Riverside Trail, County Road P59, County Road D33 through Dolliver Memorial State Park, County Road D43 (former IA 50) to Lehigh, County Road P73, gravel roads (320th Street, McGuire Bend Road, 320th Street again, and Washington Avenue), and County Road D54. Alternate between Otho and Lehigh: County Road D33, County Road P59, and County Road D43. Alternate connecting the two branches: County Road D46 between County Road D43 in Lehigh and Big Bear Road in Hamilton County. Alternate south of Lehigh: County Roads P73 and D54 between 320th Street and Washington Avenue. (The mainline runs closer to the Des Moines River, but the alternate is paved.) Alternate along the Des Moines River (entirely gravel): 340th Street, Skillet Creek Avenue, and River Road from County Road D54 to IA 175 west of the Des Moines River bridge. Webster City to Stratford: Superior Street in Webster City, IA 17, 280th Street (gravel), County Road R27, 320th Street (gravel), Bell's Mill Road (gravel), County Road D46, Big Bear Road (gravel), and County Road R21. Alternate: Closz Drive in Webster City, Inkpaduta Avenue (gravel), 258th Street (gravel), and County Road R27 between IA 17 and County Road D46. Stratford to Boone: County Road D54, IA 175, gravel roads (River Road, 394th Street, 396th Street, and Vasse Avenue) in southern Webster County, gravel roads (Juniper Road, 118th Street, and J Avenue) in northern Boone County, County Road E18, gravel Juniper Road north of Fraser, Kale Road in Fraser, gravel 156th Street and 166th Drive out of Fraser, County Roads R21 and E26 north of Boone, Story Street in Boone to US 30. Alternate from Fraser: Kale Road, County Road E26, gravel roads (188th Road, 192nd Street, J Avenue, 200th Street, Juneberry Road, 208th Street, and J Avenue again), County Road E41, County Road R18, and US 30 to the junction with County Road R23/Story Street in Boone. Boone to Des Moines, from US 30: County Road R23 (old IA 164) into Ledges State Park, County Road E52 and a series of gravel roads (P Avenue, 260th Street, and Peach Avenue) east of the park, County Road E57, County Road R26, County Road E62, IA 210 to Madrid, IA 17, former and current IA 415 through Polk City, NW 84th Avenue west of Ankeny, NW 37th Street, Horseshoe Drive past the Saylorville Lake Visitors Center, NW 37th Street again, NW Toni Drive, NW 66th Avenue, NW 26th Street, and Morningstar Drive to Aurora Avenue on the north edge of Des Moines. Through Des Moines: Aurora Avenue, 6th Avenue, Birdland Drive, Saylor Road, Penn Avenue, University Avenue, East 6th Street, Robert D. Ray Drive, Locust Street, Penn Avenue in front of the State Capitol, Grand Avenue, 3rd Street (SB) and 2nd Avenue (NB), Court Avenue and Walnut Street (NB), Water Street across the Raccoon River near its mouth, SE 1st Street across the Des Moines River, Scott Avenue, SE 6th Street, Hartford Avenue, SE 22nd Street, Evergreen Drive, SE 34th Street, and Army Post Road to US 65. "Bus Route":* Follows Holcomb Avenue and Saylor Road between 6th Street and Penn Avenue instead of Birdland Drive; this route probably exists to avoid a low-clearance overpass on Birdland. Alternate: From the intersection of 2nd and Grand Avenues downtown, it follows Grand westward to 5th Street in West Des Moines; from there it follows 5th Street*, Railroad Avenue, IA 28, Park Avenue, George Flagg Parkway, Fleur Drive, and Locust Street back to 3rd Avenue. It is only signed in one direction. Water Street is no longer open to vehicles near Principal Park. The recommended route around it would be Elm Street to 2nd and 3rd Avenues across the river to Jackson Avenue before rejoining SE 1st Street. On June 3, 2005, 5th Street between Vine Street and Railroad Avenue in West Des Moines was changed from a one-way street going south to a one-way street going north. Signs for the Dragoon Trail have been removed from this area, so the recommended route is to follow Vine for one block eastward to 4th Street. Des Moines to Lake Red Rock: US 65 northward to SE Vandalia Road/County Road F70, IA 316, a series of gravel roads (Dubuque Street, 40th Avenue, Erbe Street, 60th Avenue, Gear Street, and 85th Place) in Marion County, County Road G40, IA 14 across the Mile-Long Bridge over Lake Red Rock, County Road G28, and County Road T15 across Red Rock Dam. Alternate:** IA 14 southward from G40 to Business IA 92 in Knoxville, Business and old IA 92 east of Knoxville, and County Road T15. The main and alternate routes both end at the Lake Red Rock Visitors Center at the south end of the dam.
Dvorak Memorial Highway
	In the summer of 1993 this former auto trail in northeast Iowa, named for Czech-born musician Antonin Dvorak, was resurrected with new signage. It begins at the Minnesota state line and follows County Road V58 through Cresco to Protivin, where it follows County Road B16 (including the former IA 325) through Spillville and US 52 to its southern end in Calmar.
Great River Road
	This route along the Mississippi River runs from Canada all the way down to Louisiana. (There are actually two routes, one on each side of the river). On June 15, 2000, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation designated this route as one of 30 new National Scenic Byways in the United States and one of two in Iowa. Signs designating it as one of "America's Byways" were put up in October 2003. In Iowa, the Great River Road follows: IA 26, from the Minnesota state line at New Albin to Lansing County Road X52 (including the former IA 364) and IA 76 from Lansing through Harpers Ferry to Marquette County Road X56 (including the former IA 340) from McGregor to Guttenberg US 52 from Guttenberg to Millville County Road C9Y from Millville to Sageville US 52 from Sageville through Dubuque to near Sabula US 67 from near Sabula to Davenport US 61 through Davenport IA 22 from Davenport to Muscatine IA 92 and County Road X61 from Muscatine to Toolesboro County Road X99 (formerly IA 99) from Toolesboro to Burlington County Road X62 and US 61 from Burlington to Montrose County Road X28 from Montrose to Keokuk US 136 from Keokuk to the Missouri state line Jamie Jensen's book Road Trip USA (Moon Travel, 1999) includes a tour of the Great River Road, featuring a segment on northeast Iowa.
Herbert Hoover Highway
	Originally designated in the 1920s as a spur from the Lincoln Highway to West Branch (home of Herbert Hoover) and Iowa City, this 45-mile route was revived by local promoters in 1987. It follows: Clinton Street, Market and Jefferson Streets (one-ways), and Rochester Avenue out of Iowa City. County Road F44 and IA 38 from Iowa City through West Branch to Tipton IA 130 and County Road Y14 from Tipton to US 30 at Lowden
Hiawatha Pioneer Trail
	This meandering route through Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois was designated in September 1963 at a four-state governors' conference in Amana. It isn't well-publicized anymore, although there are still plenty of signs around (especially in rural areas). The trail in Iowa split into north and south routes in Toledo before they re-joined in Davenport. Both branches were marked on state highway maps from the mid-1960s through 1975. The north branch follows: US 71 from the Minnesota state line to Spencer US 18 from Spencer to near Whittemore IA 15 and IA 3 from near Whittemore to Pocahontas IA 4, IA 7, and Business US 169 from Pocahontas to Fort Dodge Old US 20 (now County Roads D20 and D25) from Fort Dodge to Blairsburg US 69 from Blairsburg to Garner US 18 from Garner to Charles City US 218 from Charles City to Nashua IA 346 and US 63 from Nashua to New Hampton IA 24 from New Hampton to Calmar US 52 from Calmar to Decorah County Road A52 from Decorah to Waukon IA 9, County Road X16, County Road B38, and IA 51 from Waukon to Postville US 18/52 and IA 13 from Postville to Strawberry Point IA 3 and US 52 from Strawberry Point to Bellevue IA 62 from Bellevue to Maquoketa IA 64 and County Road E28 from Maquoketa to Anamosa US 151 and Business US 151 from Anamosa to Cedar Rapids 16th Avenue SW (old US 30) and US 30 from Cedar Rapids to Toledo US 63 and US 6 from Toledo to South Amana IA 220 and US 151 through the Amana Colonies US 6 (including County Road F58, formerly IA 927) from the Amana Colonies to the Illinois state line (there is a branch of the route following County Road X30 into West Branch, and there may be other branches as well). The south branch follows: US 30 from Toledo westward into Ames US 69 from Ames to Des Moines IA 163 from Des Moines to Monroe (it's signed along 163's old alignment through Monroe) IA 14 from Monroe to Knoxville IA 5 from Knoxville to Albia US 34 from Albia to Mount Pleasant US 218, IA 16, and IA 1 from Mount Pleasant to Keosauqua County Road J40 from Keosauqua to Bonaparte County Road W40 and IA 2 from Bonaparte to Fort Madison US 61 and County Road X62 from Fort Madison to Burlington County Road 99 (formerly IA 99) from Burlington to Wapello US 61 and IA 92 from Wapello to Muscatine IA 38 and US 61 from Muscatine to Davenport (where it had joined the mainline route at US 6).
Lincoln Highway
	America's original "Main Street", this route, designated in 1914, originally ran from Council Bluffs to Clinton in Iowa en route from San Francisco to New York City. Most of the route follows present-day US 30; there are still some red, white, and blue markers along this route, many of which are painted along telephone poles. I have set up a page of Lincoln Highway photos in the Photo Gallery, while Jeff Morrison has his own Lincoln Highway Photo Gallery featuring photos that were taken for his photojournalism class in the fall of 2002. James Lin's Lincoln Highway Page and the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association's official website have a lot more information on this route. Also, during late September 1998 the Cedar Rapids Gazette ran a series of articles on the highway's history and future.
Loess Hills Scenic Byway
	This 220-mile route through western Iowa was designated in 1991, two years before the state scenic byway system was created. It was also named a National Scenic Byway on June 15, 2000. It follows: IA 12 from Akron to Sioux City County Roads D25 (formerly IA 982) and K67, and IA 141 from Sioux City to Smithland County Roads L12, E16, and L20 from Smithland to Castana IA 175, IA 37, and County Road L16 from Castana to Moorhead IA 183 and IA 127 from Moorhead to Logan US 30 and County Roads F58, L34, and G8L (formerly IA 191) from Logan to Council Bluffs County Road L35 and US 275 from Council Bluffs to Tabor County Road J18 from Tabor to Thurman County Road L44 from Thurman to Hamburg
Mormon Trail Auto Tour Route
	Designated in 1996 (the sesquicentennial of the Mormons' trek across Iowa), this route roughly follows the Mormons' westward journey from Nauvoo, Illinois, into Utah. It follows: I-680 and I-29 from the Nebraska border through Council Bluffs IA 92 from Council Bluffs to Greenfield IA 25 from Greenfield to Creston US 34 from Creston to Osceola US 69, County Roads J20 and R69, and IA 2 from Osceola to Donnellson US 218 from Donnellson to Keokuk US 136 from Keokuk to Hamilton, IL IL 96 from Hamilton to Nauvoo, IL

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