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Byway

Destinations · Iowa

Dubuque

IA · 42.5006, -90.6644

Great River Road, Grant Wood Scenic Byway and River Bluffs Scenic Byway are signed byways within 30 miles of Dubuque, Iowa.

Get in

Dubuque is connected to most of the surrounding cities by 4-lane highways. From the north (Twin Cities): Take US Hwy 52 (2-lane) From the northeast(Madison/Milwaukee): Take US Hwy 151 (4-lane) East (Rockford/Chicago): Take US Hwy 20 (mostly 4-lane, some 2-lane) South (Quad Cities): Take U.S. Highway 61 (4-lane) Southwest (Cedar Rapids): Take US Hwy 151 (4-lane) West (Waterloo): Take US Hwy 20 (4-lane)
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The drives · Designated roads lead.

3 scenic drives near Dubuque

Ordered by federal designation, then by how close each one runs to Dubuque. All-American Roads and National Scenic Byways are named by the Federal Highway Administration, not by us.

  1. 01

    Great River Road

    National Scenic Byway · 3 mi out

  2. 02

    Grant Wood Scenic Byway

    State scenic byway · 21 mi out

  3. 03

    River Bluffs Scenic Byway

    State scenic byway · 29 mi out

Day-trip loops

Planned by the Byway engine on real roads: every stop traces to an OpenStreetMap feature, and the total time counts driving and the stops themselves.

Loop 1 · 4 h window · 62 mi

3 h 50 loop · 4 stops · back by 2:50 PM. Incorporates Great River Road.

  1. Julien Dubuque · 30 min
  2. Young Corn · 30 min
  3. Bellevue War Memorial · 30 min
  4. Duck Creek Park · 45 min

Touches Great River Road, Grant Wood Scenic Byway

Loop 2 · 8 h window · 225 mi

7 h 53 loop · 6 stops · back by 6:53 PM. Incorporates Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway.

  1. Bellevue War Memorial · 30 min
  2. Duck Creek Park · 45 min
  3. Helium Trampoline Park · 10 min
  4. Tallgrass Prairie Observation Deck · 10 min
  5. Johnson County Freedom Rock · 10 min
  6. National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium · 60 min

Touches Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Great River Road, Grant Wood Scenic Byway

Common questions

How long is a scenic day-trip loop from Dubuque?

Byway's engine bakes two loops from Dubuque: 4 h, 62 miles, 4 stops; and 8 h, 225 miles, 6 stops. The time counts the driving and the stops themselves.

What is there to stop at on a day trip from Dubuque?

The 8 h loop stops at Bellevue War Memorial, Duck Creek Park, Helium Trampoline Park, Tallgrass Prairie Observation Deck, Johnson County Freedom Rock and National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. Each stop traces to an OpenStreetMap feature.

Within reach

Measured from Byway's own registries, 30 miles around town.

Scenic byways

Lookouts

Named places

  • Persistence · 0 mi
  • Untitled · 0 mi
  • Julien Dubuque · 0 mi
  • 897 Central Park · 0 mi
  • We The People · 0 mi
  • Red Shouldered Hawk · 0 mi
  • Cottingham & Butler Park · 0 mi
  • Solidarity · 0 mi

A day out of Dubuque, planned on real roads

The engine starts from town, weaves the byways and verified stops around it, and hands back an honest schedule — zero hallucinations.

Plan a day trip from Dubuque →Iowa in the Atlas
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Take the scenic way to Dubuque.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

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