Glacial Trail Scenic Byway
Glacial Trail Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Iowa. Within Iowa it covers roughly 35 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Glacial Trail Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Glacial Trail Scenic Byway loops 36 miles across O'Brien, Clay, Buena Vista, and Cherokee counties in northwest Iowa. The route traces rolling plains of glacial drift in a corner of the state most visitors don't expect to look like this, running through the small towns of Peterson and Linn Grove, criss-crossing the forested valleys of Waterman Creek and the Little Sioux River. The Prairie Heritage Center near Peterson explains the ground beneath the drive: kames, kettles, hanging valleys, and catsteps left by the retreating glacier that shaped this landscape. Local museums in Peterson and Linn Grove hold artifacts from the Mill Creek culture, a Native American farming society that lived along these river valleys around 1000 A.D. The byway's name is a fitting one, since almost nowhere else in Iowa displays glacial landforms this clearly.
- 36-mile loop, 4 NW Iowa counties
- Prairie Heritage Center, Peterson
- Waterman Creek & Little Sioux valleys
- glacial kames, kettles & catsteps
- Mill Creek culture sites, c. 1000 A.D.
Plan a drive on Glacial Trail Scenic Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
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.
Where to Stay along Glacial Trail Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Glacial Trail Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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