Who knew that Iowa boasts so many wonderful waterfalls? We did, and this route takes you directly to two waterfalls and puts you in close proximity to three others. The two waterfalls with the easiest access are Dunning Spring Falls and Siewer Spring Falls, both in Decorah, IA. Other waterfalls along this route are Malanaphy Falls, outside of Decorah, Bridal Veil Falls in Pike’s Peak State Park, and Beulah Falls near Spook Cave. Please be aware that Bridal Veil Falls will require a short hike on a well marked path, but Malanaphy Falls will require a 1 mile hike through fairly rough terrain. The view is worth the hike. The terrain in this part of Iowa is widely varied. Experience the bluffs along the Mississippi and the rolling hills as you move west away from the river. This route picks its way through the various hill formations as it connects to the different waterfalls. It also follows the Great River Road from Marquette, Iowa to Lansing, Iowa. In addition to the beautiful waterfalls and the amazing roads, there are plenty of parks, museums and historical sites on the Iowa Waterfall Route. Be sure to check out the views from Mt. Hosner Park in Lansing, or stop in to look at the clock collection at the Bily Clocks Museum in Spillville. Outside of Marquette you can go back in time at Effigy Mounds National Monument. So. if waterfalls and great roads are your thing, check out The Iowa Waterfall Route. We think you will have a great time!
Note: County Road W20 (ie Bluffton Road) and Iowa 139, both Northwest of Decorah, Iowa, have been reported to be in rough shape. Please use caution on these roads or consider detouring until these roads have been repaired.
Approximate Mileage: 240 Miles
Estimated Riding Time: 6 Hours
Road Surface: Paved
ATTRACTIONS:
Waukon: Cowboy and Bull Statue, Waukon City Park, Alamakee County Historical Society
Dorchester: Ryumonji Zen Monastary
West Union: Boy and the Boot
Festina: Tiny Church
Lansing: Mount Hosner Park, Museum of River History, Driftless Area Education Center
Decorah: Trout Run Park, Locust School Museum, Dunning Spring Falls, Ice Cave Hill Park, Porter House Museum, Westerhiem Norwegian/American Museum, Winneshieck County Historical Society, Malanaphy Falls, Pulpit Rock/Will Baker Park, Siewer Spring Falls
Spillville: Bily Clocks Museum
Fort Atkinson: Fort Atkinson State Park
St. Lucas: German American Museum
Fayette: Fayette County Courthouse, Fayette County Historical Society, Dutton Cave County Park
Marquette: Depot Museum, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Pinky the Elephant
A Paper Map is available for this route.
Motorcycle Rides, Fayette, McGregor, Marquette, Monona, Postville, Ossian, Fort Atkinson, Spillville, Ridgeway, Cresco, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Ferryville, DeSoto, Prairie du Chien, Harpers Ferry
Iowa Waterfall Route
If you are riding with a group, we ask that every person using our route for navigation purchase their own copy.
In order to encourage this, we are happy to offer a discount for group purchases. Please contact us after purchasing 1 item at full price, and we will set up a coupon code that will give everyone in your group 50% off of the same item.
Our digital routes are designed to operate in most GPS devices. In addition to GPSs, our routes should work with several smartphone apps. They will NOT work on Google Maps or Apple Maps.
If you plan on using a smartphone app, we recommend the REVER app. REVER will work with both Android and iOS and in addition to navigation it has many other great features.
For best results in REVER, download the route to your computer first, then import into your smartphone. Turn by turn may not work, so we recommend that you utilize the "Follow the Line" option.
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AND using this coupon code at checkout: Driftlessforless.
By using this link and coupon code a portion of your subscription fee will go to support Driftless Roads USA.