Location: Along the Missouri River in Western Iowa through Sioux City Length: 220 miles (354 km) Time To Allow: 7 hours Description/Highlights/Points of Interest 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. The steep, sharply ridged topography supports many rare plants and animals, many of which can only be found in the Loess Hills. Suggested Itinerary Your tour starts in the Broken Kettle Grasslands, just south of Akron. The preserve is half prairie and constitutes the largest remaining section of the vast prairie that once covered most of Iowa. The preserve contains flora and fauna not found in any other part of the Loess Hills to the south or the State of Iowa; these include the prairie rattlesnake and the ten-petal blazing star. Five Ridge Prairie, located on the Ridge Road Loop, about five miles (8 km) south of Broken Kettle Grasslands, is a combination of prairie and woodlands. This is one of the best sites of unbroken prairie remnants in the State of Iowa. You can notice the climate changes between open grasslands, which are warmed by the sun and dry prairie breezes, and the shadowy woods, which remain cooler and more humid. Expect some rugged hiking trails at this site. The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center is on the Stone Park Loop just south of the Highway 12 entrance to Stone State Park. The center is devoted wholly to Iowa's Loess Hills. The center has live animal displays, hands-on exhibits, a butterfly garden and a walk-through exhibit showing life under the prairie. Our final stop, Stone State Park, is located on Sioux City's Interpretive northwest side. It has 1,069 acres of prairie-topped ridges and dense woodlands. Dakota Point and Elk Point provide scenic overlooks of Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. The multi-use trails handle hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders and snowmobilers. There are campsites available with showers and it is a site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Travel Season/Dates Expect road closings in Spring due to flooding. Ferries cannot operate when the river freezes.