---
template: byway.jade
id: "2187"
name: Loess Hills Scenic Byway
distance: "220"
duration: Plan five hours to drive or seven or more hours to enjoy the byway.
description: "The Loess Hills Scenic Byway weaves through the rugged landscape of windblown silt deposits along the Missouri River Valley. This unique American treasure possesses natural features found only in one other place in the world: the Yellow River Valley of China. Accordingly, the landscape supports many rare plants and animals."
contact: "**Loess Hills Scenic Byway Council**  \r\n 712-482-3029  \r\n [Send E-mail](mailto:lhnsb@goldenhillsrcd.org )  \r\n\r\n**[Western Iowa Tourism Region](http://www.visitwesterniowa.com/)**  \r\n 888-623-4232  \r\n 712-623-4232  \r\n [Send E-mail](mailto:witr@traveliowa.org )  "
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websites: 
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/midwest/boyerchute/"
    name: Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=33510"
    name: DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.harrisoncountyparks.org/"
    name: Harrison County Parks
  - url: "http://iowadot.gov/iowasbyways/index.aspx"
    name: "Iowa's Byways- Iowa DOT"
  - url: "http://www.nps.gov/lecl/"
    name: "Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail"
  - url: "http://www.visitloesshills.com"
    name: Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
  - url: "http://www.millscoia.us"
    name: "Mills County, Iowa"
  - url: "http://www.nps.gov/mnrr/index.htm"
    name: Missouri National Recreational River
  - url: "http://www.nps.gov/mopi/"
    name: Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
  - url: "http://www.traveliowa.com/"
    name: The Official Iowa Tourism Home Page
  - url: "http://visitwesterniowa.com/"
    name: Visit Western Iowa
designations: 
  - National Scenic Byway
  - Iowa State Scenic Byway
  - National Natural Landmark Area
states: 
  - IA
ll: 
  - -96.55622100029893
  - 42.83203100043028
bounds: 
  - - -96.61283100015049
    - 40.5839689998694
  - - -95.63210299965368
    - 42.83203100043028

---

The Loess Hills of western Iowa are truly an American treasure. The outstanding prairie and forest-covered bluffs draw people from around the world. With an impressive network of state parks, private preserves, and national landmarks, travelers to the byway have a myriad of opportunities to see and explore this natural wonder.  

The unique land formation of windblown silt called “loess” extends nearly 200 miles in a narrow band adjacent to the Missouri River Valley. Although deposits of loess are found across the world, nowhere but China are those deposits higher than they are in Iowa. The Loess Hills encompasses over 640,000 acres of land with over 10,000 acres designated as a “Loess Hills National Natural Landmark.”  

See many archeological sites where pottery, tools, and other artifacts have been left behind by the ancient Mill Creek and Glenwood cultures, who inhabited the area between 1000-1300 AD. In 2008, the State Archaeologist recorded over 1,500 inventoried archaeological sites in the Loess Hills. The Glenwood culture near the southern end of the Loess Hills has many 800-year-old earthlodges, and to the north is a small cluster of Mill Creek culture sites around Sioux City.