AGRI(CULTURED)

FOR OUR EIGHTH ANNUAL ROAD RALLY, WE DELVED INTO OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, FARM-FRESH FOOD, AND A THRIVING ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE IN IOWA.

- JULIA SAYERS GOKHALE

Standing at the base of a lush canyon carved through towering Mississippi River bluffs, something becomes very clear: Iowa has secrets to share. It's a state known for agriculture, but so much grows here beyond field crops.

Cities sparkle with boutique hotels, award-winning restaurants and public art. Small towns hold artisan bakeries, scenic wineries and pop-up pizza nights. Ancient landscapes invite adventure-hiking on glacial knolls, wildlife-watching in rustling prairies, and clambering through rocky caves.

On our summer Road Rally, this year in partnership with Travel Iowa, the Midwest Living team spent four days driving across the Hawkeye State, from the Missouri to the Mississippi. All along the way, we found experiences that bridged Iowa's roots and its future. Every day brought unique opportunities to get outside, go underground, see art, learn about the immigrant groups that shaped Iowa's history and taste what the land provides. Agritourism? More like agriculture.

LOESS HILLS The Loess Hills run down Iowa's western border like a spine. Rising 300 feet above the Missouri River valley, the unusual slopes were formed from sediment that was carried by water, moved by wind, then shaped by water again. Though their exact age is unknown, Iowa DNR volunteer Larry Green believes they predate the Yellowstone Supervolcano eruption 640,000 years ago, due to volcanic ash found in the area. Loess Hills State Forest encompasses four unitsPreparation Canyon, Little Sioux, Pisgah and Mondamin. We started at the Loess Hills Scenic Overlook in the Preparation Canyon Unit. From there, hikes branch off in all directions.