IOWA'S LOESS HILLS

Loess Hills

 The Loess Hills (pronounced luss, rhyming with fuss).  Loess is a German word meaning loose and refers to a type of wind-deposited silt.  The Loess Hills is a globally unique landform, 15 miles wide and 200 miles long, starting from Akron, Iowa to St. Joseph, Missouri.  The only other place taller loess formations are found is in the Loess Plateaunear the Yellow River of China.  The less soil found in China, where sand was blown from the Gobi Desert is deposited over a wide area.  This is what makes the Yellow River yellow.  

More than half of Iowa's remaining native prairie is found in the Loess Hills of western Iowa.

The hills are a collection of silt and dust that took thousands of years to form.  They were formed during the ice ages when glacial movement ground up material in the river valley.  The light, loose material was blown to the Loess Hills and settled out in the river valley.

Photo by Gary Hightshoe
Drainage developing in thick loess, Monona County

In the heart of the deep-loss landscape, within two to ten miles of the Missouri Valley, the topography alternates peaks and saddles that dip and climb along the narrow crooked ridge crests.  

Loess Hills State Forest, near Iowa's western border in Harrison and Monona counties, comprises 11,484 acres.  The main goal of the forest is to implement effective management practices for the benefit of long-term natural resource stewardship.  The Loess Hills State Forest Visitors Center near downtown Pisgah is where one can learn about the geology and unique plants and animals of this area.  The center is open year-round, with seasonal hours.

The Loess Hills National Scenic Highway features a 220-mile paved main route, with an additional 185 miles of optional excursion loops that range from interstate highways to gravel roads.

Loess Hills National Scenic Byway