Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Wilderness Loop
Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Wilderness Loop is a National Scenic Byway in Iowa. Within Iowa it covers roughly 13 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: Wilderness Loop with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Wilderness Loop detours off the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway in Monona County, Iowa. It crosses working farmland to reach three of the byway's best-preserved pockets of original prairie, passing the Loess Hills Wildlife Area and the Turin Loess Hills Nature Preserve before reaching Sylvan Runkel State Preserve, named for the self-taught Iowa naturalist and forester who spent decades studying and advocating for the Loess Hills' native grasses and wildflowers. Despite crossing several miles of row-cropped fields between stops, the loop earns its name once it reaches these remnants: steep, treeless ridges where native grasses and wildflowers still grow much as they did before the region was settled. It's one of three loops in Monona County, roughly midway down the byway between Sioux City and the Missouri border, and a good stop for anyone wanting to see Loess Hills prairie without a long hike.
- Monona County farmland & prairie loop
- Loess Hills Wildlife Area
- Turin Loess Hills Nature Preserve
- Sylvan Runkel State Preserve
- named for Iowa naturalist Sylvan Runkel
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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: Wilderness Loop
No campgrounds are listed close to Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Wilderness Loop yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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