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Effigy Mounds National Monument – EMNMsign📷 Jonathunder, Public domain

Road trips in Iowa

6 road trips and 20 hand-picked places in Iowa, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
6
Places
20

Campsites in Iowa 447

Trip guides

Road trips through Iowa

Iowa’s Driftless bluffs and Norwegian Decorah – A river running through a lush green forestPhoto by Niko Vassios on Unsplash
52
Scenic byways

Iowa’s Driftless bluffs and Norwegian Decorah

133 mi8 stops3 days
Covered bridges, Dutch windmills and the Amana Colonies – Ledges State Park, Iowa, near the Des Moines river© Rbreidbrown · CC BY-SA 4.0
80
Themed road trips

Covered bridges, Dutch windmills and the Amana Colonies

231 mi8 stops3 days
Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal – Custodian Residence© Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
61
Scenic byways

Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal

249 mi9 stops3 days
From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa – aerial photography of green trees beside body of waterPhoto by Runde Imaging on Unsplash
Great River Road
In-depth road trip guides

From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa

616 mi14 stops7 days
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi – The India Gate war memorial in New Delhi under a vibrant pink skyPhoto by shalender kumar on Unsplash
GRR
Classic American drives

Great River Road: the upper Mississippi

642 mi6 stops5 days
Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Unsplash)© Lance Anderson lanceanderson · CC0
80
Themed road trips

Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run

815 mi7 stops4 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Iowa’s Driftless bluffs and Norwegian Decorah3133 mi2 h 23 min8
Covered bridges, Dutch windmills and the Amana Colonies3231 mi4 h 08 min8
Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal3249 mi4 h 27 min9
From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa7616 mi10 h 60 min14
Great River Road: the upper Mississippi5642 mi11 h 28 min6
Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run4815 mi14 h 33 min7
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Iowa

Effigy Mounds National Monument – EMNMsign© Jonathunder · Public domain
Editor's pick
History

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Harpers Ferry, IA
Editor's pick
History

Roseman Covered Bridge

Winterset, IA
Field of Dreams Movie Site, Dyersville, Iowa - panoramio© Jana Taylor · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Field of Dreams Movie Site

Dyersville, IA
Pikes Peak State Park – A river running through a lush green forestPhoto by Niko Vassios on Unsplash
Views

Pikes Peak State Park

McGregor, IA
Mount Hosmer Park - panoramio© Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0
Views

Mount Hosmer Park

Lansing, IA
Dunning’s Spring – Ice Cave Decorah IA 063© Karen Noecker · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nature

Dunning’s Spring

Decorah, IA
Bily Clocks Museum – Wenzil Building© Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Oddities

Bily Clocks Museum

Spillville, IA
Ledges State Park, Madrid, United States (Unsplash)© Lexi Ruskell lexir703 · CC0
Nature

Ledges State Park

Boone, IA
Holliwell Covered Bridge – a snow covered road next to a treePhoto by James Peacock on Unsplash
History

Holliwell Covered Bridge

Winterset, IA
Vermeer Windmill – Vermeer Mill - Pella, Iowa (24380387470)© Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Vermeer Windmill

Pella, IA
Amana Colonies – The Chocolate Haus Amana IA - panoramio© Chanilim714 · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Amana Colonies

Amana, IA
Maquoketa Caves State Park – Custodian Residence© Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Maquoketa Caves State Park

Maquoketa, IA
Snake Alley – Fordney House - Burlington Iowa© Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0
Oddities

Snake Alley

Burlington, IA
Des Moines - Iowa State Capitol - 20220512150133© Riis2602 · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Iowa State Capitol

Des Moines, IA
Backbone State Park – Scrophularia marilandica 146242660© Craig Martin · CC0
Nature

Backbone State Park

Dundee, IA
Fenelon Place Elevator – 1005 Main Street Dubuque, Iowa© Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Oddities

Fenelon Place Elevator

Dubuque, IA
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum – PainterBernatzMill© Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Decorah, IA
Lake Okoboji – Gardner Cabin December 2005© Dan Breyfogle · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nature

Lake Okoboji

Arnolds Park, IA
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Birthplace – Herbert Hoover NHS - approaching the birthplace cottage© Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Birthplace

West Branch, IA
Grotto of the Redemption 001© Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0
Oddities

Grotto of the Redemption

West Bend, IA

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Iowa?

Popular routes include Iowa’s Driftless bluffs and Norwegian Decorah, Covered bridges, Dutch windmills and the Amana Colonies, Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal and From headwater stream to mighty river: by camper along the upper Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa. CampingSpirit has 6 trip guides that pass through Iowa, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Iowa are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Effigy Mounds National Monument and Roseman Covered Bridge.

Nearby

Wisconsin 7Illinois 10Minnesota 8Missouri 9Indiana 3Michigan 7Nebraska 5Kansas 3