Scenic Drives & Byways in Iowa
Iowa has 26 scenic drives and byways to explore — including 18 National Scenic Byways and 8 State Scenic Byways. Pick any road below to see it on the map, or plan a Iowa trip in the Road Sorties route planner with scenic-road routing turned on.
All scenic roads in Iowa
- Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway
- Driftless Area Scenic Byway
- Glacial Trail Scenic Byway
- Grant Wood Scenic Byway
- Great River Road (Iowa - all routes)
- Historic Hills Scenic Byway
- Iowa Valley Scenic Byway
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Butcher Road Connection
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Fountainbleu Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Hitchcock Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Larpenteur Memorial Road Connection
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Orchard Ridge Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Pleasant Overview Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Pony Creek Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Preparation Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Ridge Road Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Sawmill Hollow Run
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Smokey Hollow Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Spring Valley Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stone Park Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Waubonsie Loop
- Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Wilderness Loop
- River Bluffs Scenic Byway
- Western Skies Scenic Byway
Types of scenic byways in Iowa
- National Scenic Byway 18
- National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
- State Scenic Byway 8
- State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.