Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop
Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop is a National Scenic Byway in Iowa. Within Iowa it covers roughly 5 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Stagecoach Trail Loop retraces a 19th-century stage route west out of Smithland, Iowa, on the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway in Woodbury County. The route runs west on Highway 141 before turning south onto county road K67, following, where the terrain allows, the rough path stagecoaches once cut between river towns before the railroad arrived. It's one of three loops that branch off the byway spine in Woodbury County, a gravel counterpart to Smokey Hollow Loop just to the north, and both are a quick way to see how abruptly the flat Missouri River bottomland gives way to the Loess Hills' steep, grass-covered bluffs. There are no formal historic markers along the loop itself, so most of what's known about the original stagecoach route comes down through local and county history rather than an official interpretive trail.
- Smithland, Woodbury County
- traces a 19th-century stage route
- Highway 141 to County Road K67
- one of 3 Woodbury County loops
- abrupt river-bottom-to-bluff transition
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What is a National Scenic Byway?
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.
Where to Stay along Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop
No campgrounds are listed close to Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Stagecoach Trail Loop yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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