Iowa Valley Scenic Byway
Iowa Valley Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Iowa. Within Iowa it covers roughly 75 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Iowa Valley Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Iowa Valley Scenic Byway follows 77 miles of the Iowa River through east-central Iowa. It links the state's only Native American settlement to its longest-running communal society, with its western end passing the Meskwaki Settlement near Tama, land the Meskwaki people purchased and hold outside the federal reservation system, unique among Iowa's tribal lands. The route continues through Montour, Chelsea, Belle Plaine, and Marengo, following the Iowa River's wetlands and farmland, before looping through the seven villages of the Amana Colonies at its eastern end. Amana, East Amana, West Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, South Amana, and Homestead were founded in 1855 by German religious dissenters seeking communal life free of persecution, and together form one of the longest-lasting communal societies in U.S. history. The contrast between the two cultural anchors, one Native American, one German immigrant, gives the drive its throughline.
- 77 miles along the Iowa River
- Meskwaki Settlement, Tama
- Amana Colonies' 7 villages
- German communal society founded 1855
- Iowa's only non-reservation tribal land
Plan a drive on Iowa Valley 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 Iowa Valley Scenic Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Iowa Valley Scenic Byway.
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