IOWA
LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL

The premier interpretive center for all the great western trails — Lewis and Clark, Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express — that passed through or originated near Council Bluffs. Excellent Lewis and Clark exhibits cover the expedition's time in this area, where the Corps held their first formal council with Native nations, meeting with Otoe and Missouri representatives on August 3, 1804. A perfect orientation stop before following I-29 north along the Missouri.

Dedicated in 1936, this monument on the Loess Hills bluffs above Council Bluffs commemorates the expedition's historic first formal council with Native peoples — the Otoe and Missouri nations — held 'beneath the bluffs on the Missouri' on August 3, 1804. The overlook delivers sweeping views of the Missouri River valley, the Omaha skyline across the river, and the Loess Hills landscape that the Corps navigated. One of the most historically resonant viewpoints on the Iowa trail.

Lake Manawa is an oxbow lake formed by the meandering Missouri River — the same river the Corps navigated past here in the summer of 1804. The park offers hiking trails, swimming, and fishing on the lake, along with interpretive signage about the expedition and the natural history of the Missouri River corridor. A pleasant stop combining natural beauty with Lewis and Clark context.

Iowa's most scenic Loess Hills state park, with rugged trails climbing the unique wind-deposited bluffs that parallel the Missouri River. The Corps paddled below these same dramatic hills in July 1804, the captains noting the unusual geology in their journals. The park's ridge-top views of the river valley and Nebraska beyond are extraordinary — this is one of the best places in Iowa to visualize the landscape the expedition moved through.

A spectacular oxbow lake and wetland preserve on the Iowa-Nebraska border where the Missouri River once made a sweeping bend. The refuge is one of the premier migratory waterfowl staging areas in the Great Plains — the same river bottomland and wetland habitat that the Corps of Discovery marveled at in 1804. The visitor center houses artifacts from the steamboat Bertrand, which sank here in 1865 carrying westward-bound cargo. Remarkable natural beauty year-round, exceptional during fall migration.

The only visitor center on the entire Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that displays full-scale replicas of all three watercraft used by the expedition — the 55-foot keelboat and both pirogues. Set on the shores of Blue Lake, an oxbow of the Missouri River, the park's interactive exhibits bring the river journey vividly to life. On August 8, 1804, the Corps camped near this bend in the river. Swimming, camping, and fishing available. One of the finest Lewis and Clark stops in Iowa.

The gateway to the 220-mile Iowa Loess Hills National Scenic Byway — the dramatic landscape of wind-deposited silt bluffs that parallels the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark repeatedly climbed and noted the distinctive Loess Hills in their journals, marveling at their height and the views they afforded. The interpretive center introduces visitors to the unique ecology and geology of this landscape, found in significant form only here and in parts of China.

A spectacular Loess Hills nature center with 1,200 acres of trails through the same ridges and valleys the Corps of Discovery observed from the Missouri River below. The hawk watch tower at the summit offers panoramic views of the Missouri River corridor and provides the best understanding of the landscape scale the expedition traveled through. Fall hawk migration counts here are among the highest in the Midwest.

One of the finest Lewis and Clark museums on the entire trail, built around the most dramatic event of Iowa's expedition story — the death of Sergeant Charles Floyd on August 20, 1804, the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die on the journey. An animatronic Thomas Jefferson, immersive dioramas, and a remarkable artifact collection cover the full arc of the expedition. The center sits on the Missouri River adjacent to the permanently docked Sergeant Floyd riverboat museum. Essential.

A 100-foot obelisk of yellow sandstone on Floyd's Bluff overlooking the Missouri River — a National Historic Landmark commemorating Sergeant Charles Floyd, who died here on August 20, 1804, almost certainly from a ruptured appendix. He was the first U.S. soldier to die west of the Mississippi in the Louisiana Purchase territory. His comrades carried him to this high bluff and buried him with full military honors, marking the grave with a red cedar post. The monument, erected in 1901, is one of the most moving sites on the entire Lewis and Clark Trail.

A permanently dry-docked Missouri River towboat converted into a museum and Iowa/Nebraska Welcome Center drawing over 20,000 visitors annually. Exhibits aboard the Sergeant Floyd cover the Lewis and Clark expedition's passage through this region, the history of Missouri River navigation, and the natural history of the river corridor. Named after the expedition's only fatality, the vessel serves as a fitting tribute to the Corps' time in this area.

A distinctive rest area on southbound I-29 dedicated entirely to the Corps of Discovery, featuring canoe-shaped outdoor seating, large interior murals depicting the expedition's passage through Iowa, a compass medallion on the entryway floor, eight terra cotta sculptures on the exterior, and limestone blocks listing the name of every Corps member. A surprisingly moving and well-designed stop that most travelers rush past.

Loess Hills bluffs rising directly above Sioux City, with trails through oak savanna and restored prairie that look out over the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers — a landmark the Corps noted on August 21, 1804, the day after Floyd's burial. The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center provides excellent interpretation of the Loess Hills ecosystem. The view from the park's summit ridge takes in three states.

A monument honoring War Eagle, the respected Yankton Sioux chief who maintained peaceful relations with American settlers along the Missouri River in the early 19th century. War Eagle's people were among the Native nations the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered in this region. The park overlooks the Missouri River junction and includes interpretive markers about the tribal nations whose territory the Corps passed through.