There’s more to Iowa than meets the eye. We’re much more than cornfields and flat lands. There’s a surprising diversity and richness to the natural wonders in IA that we can explore. From other-worldly caves to waterfalls and everything in between, this road trip will show you Iowa as you’ve never seen it before. This Iowa road trip explores the natural wonders of eastern Iowa, and the driving time is a little over five hours in its entirety. You can find a map of the road trip route on Google Maps.

Strap in and let's goooooo!
Google Maps
1. Dunning's Spring Park
Dunning's Spring Park, Ice Cave Road, Decorah, IA, USA
Brenda H/TripAdvisor
The trip starts out in the stunning northeast corner of Iowa. Known for its lush wooded areas and impressive limestone bluffs, this part of the state is anything but flat. Dunning's Spring Park is a lovely area to hike around and admire the Dunning’s Spring waterfall.

Get a first look at the majesty of Dunning's Spring Park in this spellbinding video:
2. Decorah Ice Cave
Ice Cave Road, Ice Cave Rd, Decorah, IA 52101, USA
Denise Krebs/Flickr
Near Dunning’s Spring Park is the Decorah Ice Cave, a cave that is cold and ice-covered all year long, even in the humid August heat, due to the glacier it sits upon.
3. Effigy Mounds National Monument
Effigy Mounds National Monument, 151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146, USA
Flickr/Greg Hanson
There’s nothing like the Effigy Mounds National Monument. There are more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans representing 20 affiliated tribes. Many of the effigy mounds are shaped like animals, including bears and birds, and the site is known to be the largest concentration of mounds that remain in the country.

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4. Pikes Peak State Park
Pikes Peak State Park, 32264 Pikes Peak Rd, McGregor, IA 52157, USA
Flickr/Todd Ehlers
Pikes Peak State Park contains gorgeous hiking trails, a waterfall named Bridal Veil Falls and an overlook that provides breathtaking views of the Mississippi River.

Get all the details about Pikes Peak State Park in this informative video!
5. Crystal Lake Cave
Crystal Lake Cave Road, Crystal Lake Cave Rd, Iowa 52003, USA
Facebook/Crystal Lake Cave
Crystal Lake Cave offers a mystical, otherworldly sort of beauty. The cave is a result of slow-moving groundwater carving the cave out of layers of limestone over millions of years.
6. Maquoketa Caves State Park
Maquoketa Caves State Park, 9688 Caves Rd, Maquoketa, IA 52060, USA
Flickr/Michael Kappel
Spanning 323 acres, Maquoketa Caves State Park has the highest number of caves of any Iowa state park. Explore the trails throughout the park to see caves, formations, overlooks and even a waterfall.

Check out this amazing state park unlike any other in the entire state in this first-person video:
7. Sabula
Sabula, IA 52070, USA
Flickr/CJ Oliver
An island in landlocked Iowa truly is a natural wonder, and Sabula is the only city in Iowa on an island. In Sabula, you can walk right along the Mississippi, watch for river wildlife, like Bald Eagles and even pelicans, and visit South Sabula State Park for some hiking, boating and fishing.
8. Wildcat Den State Park
Wildcat Den State Park, 1884 Wildcat Den Rd, Muscatine, IA 52761, USA
Flickr/David Wilson
The final stop on this road trip is Wildcat Den State Park. In this beautiful park, if you follow the trails, you can see many wonders, like "Steamboat Rock," "Devil’s Punch Bowl" and "Fat Man’s Squeeze."

Have you been to any of these spots? What did you think of these amazing natural wonders in IA? For another great Iowa road trip idea, this haunting road trip through Iowa ghost towns is one you won’t forget.

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More to Explore

Natural Wonders in Iowa

Tori Jane | February 08, 2023
  1. What are some of the most amazing natural wonders in Iowa? 

Who says Iowa isn’t an amazing state to live in and/or visit? We sure don’t. Believe it or not, Iowa is not even close to boring; there are numerous stunning natural wonders in IA that are worthy of mentioning, like:  

  • The Loess Hills – maybe this is what people are thinking about when they think Iowa is nothing but fields, but these fields are outrageously beautiful and worthy of admiration.  
  • The Maquoketa Caves – these feel like something out of another world and definitely not somewhere here in little ol’ Iowa.  
  • Pikes Peak State Park – this stunning state park in Indiana overlooks the Mississippi River near McGregor. If you ask the locals where the most beautiful part of Iowa is, plenty of them will mention this one.  

 

Learn more about each of these amazing natural wonders in Iowa and more.  

  1. What are the natural wonders of IA? 

Amazingly, the list of natural wonders of IA doesn’t end with the short one above. If it were a little longer, we’d have included some Iowa natural wonders like:  

  • Ledges State Park – this is the place to take anyone who assumes Iowa is flat and boring. The geography at Ledges feels like something out of Middle Earth.  
  • The Upper Iowa River is probably one of the most beautiful regions of the state, cutting through an area that the last glaciers never got to reach.  

 

Learn more about both of these amazing natural wonders of IA and then some!   

  1. What are some of the most scenic places in IA? 

So, what are these other scenic places in Iowa we speak of? After all, there are hundreds – it would be almost impossible to explore the entire state in just a lifetime. Some of the other most notably scenic places in Iowa are places such as:  

  • Pella – this entire Iowa town is fairy-tale perfect, but most especially during the famous annual tulip festival.  
  • The covered bridges of Madison County are so stunning that they’re like something out of a postcard. 
  • The High Trestle Trail Bride might also be man-made, but it’s outrageously beautiful and a favorite among Iowa photographers.  

 

Learn more about these beautiful places in Iowa and many others.   

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