West Central Iowa

West Central Iowa covers the western tier of agricultural counties along the Loess Hills and the country east toward Carroll and Audubon. The terrain shifts from the dramatic Loess Hills along the Missouri River — towering wind-deposited silt formations rising several hundred feet above the Missouri valley floor — east into the rolling till country and corn-and-soybean farmland that defines most of central Iowa. Seven counties cover the region. Carroll holds Carroll itself; Crawford holds Denison; Harrison and Monona counties cover most of the Loess Hills State Forest and the bluff country along the Missouri; Shelby holds Harlan; Audubon holds Audubon and the world’s largest concrete bull statue (Albert the Bull); Guthrie holds Guthrie Center and Lake Panorama. The Loess Hills Scenic Byway runs north-south through Harrison and Monona; Preparation Canyon and Lewis and Clark state parks anchor the bluff-country public lands. Most trips here run scenic-driving and small-town focused. The Loess Hills Scenic Byway pulls the most photographed regional traffic — fall is peak; Audubon’s bull fills cultural side-trips; Lake Panorama and Lake Anita state parks handle summer water recreation. The region rewards travelers willing to drop off the interstate for the back roads.