Breakfast
Biscuits and sausage gravy
Warm biscuits split and covered in a creamy gravy with crumbled sausage, a filling Midwest breakfast before a day on the trails.
Local tip Order a half portion if you are not used to a big start.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. The days run in a line: Dubuque on Day 1, farm country and the river bluffs on Day 2, then the mounds and Decorah on Day 3.Details
- Flying in
- Dubuque has a small regional airport, so check ahead on flights. Many visitors fly into a larger airport such as Cedar Rapids, Moline, Madison or Chicago and drive the rest, which is a long road from some of them. Check the road and the weather before you set out.
- You need a car
- The places on this trip are far apart and the roads between them run through farm country and river bluffs. A car is the way to do it. Fill the tank in the larger towns, since some stretches have few services.
- A night after Day 2
- Day 2 ends on the river near McGregor, and Day 3 starts at the mounds just north of it, so a room in or near McGregor or Marquette saves backtracking. Small river towns fill on fall weekends when the bluffs turn color, so book ahead.
- What to wear
- The bluffs are steep and the trails climb, so pack shoes with grip and a layer for cool mornings. The weather can change fast in the Midwest, so carry a rain jacket and, in summer, insect repellent. Day 1 starts in Dubuque, so settle in the evening before.
How much walking? On foot, about 0.4 to 0.6 miles a day, and 106.1 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Day 1. Dubuque, the river and the bluff
4 stops · 0.4 mi on foot, 5.3 mi by carDubuque on the Mississippi. A state recreation area south of town where lead was mined, a museum and aquarium on the riverfront, a funicular up the bluff, then a park high above the river.
If you only have half a dayNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, then Fenelon Place Elevator. A riverfront museum with aquariums, then a small funicular railway up the bluff.
- 1Morning
Mines of Spain State Recreation Area
A state park on the southern edge of Dubuque, with walking trails, a bird and butterfly garden and the sites of the early lead mines led by Julien Dubuque, who is buried here. The sites form a National Historic Landmark District. Wear shoes with grip, and check ahead on the nature center.
Go when Morning, while the trails are cool.
Local tip Pick one trail rather than trying them all, since the park is large and hilly. Take water, wear shoes with grip, and check ahead on the nature center and on trail conditions after rain.
Photo: Bill Whittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons About 11 min by car or transit2.2 mi - 2MiddayIndoor
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
A museum on the Dubuque riverfront about the culture and history of the rivers of America, with more than a dozen aquariums of river wildlife, such as catfish and sturgeon, and outdoor exhibits. It is an indoor stop, so it works in rain. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Start with the river history, then spend your time at the aquariums with the big river fish. It suits a wet or cold day. Check ahead on the opening.
Photo: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons - Lunch
Pork tenderloin sandwich
A thin, breaded and fried pork cutlet, often wider than the bun it comes on, with pickles and mustard, a sandwich the state is known for.
Local tip Share one if you do not have a big appetite, since the cutlet is large.
About 8 min walk0.4 mi - 3Afternoon
Fenelon Place Elevator
A small funicular railway that has carried riders up the bluff since 1884, rebuilt in 1893. Two observation decks at the top look out over downtown Dubuque. It is a short ride, so treat it as a stop of its own. Check ahead on whether it is running in the season you come.
Go when Afternoon, on a clear day.
Local tip It is a short ride up a steep slope, so it works as a stop on your way through town. The view from the top is clearer on a bright day. Check ahead on the season and whether it is running.
Photo: Dirk, CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons About 15 min by car or transit3.2 mi - 4Evening
Eagle Point Park
A city park on a bluff in the north-east corner of Dubuque, looking out over the Mississippi and a lock and dam. It opened in 1909, and many of its stone and wood structures were built in the 1930s under architect Alfred Caldwell. Walk the edge paths and mind the drops.
Go when Late afternoon (about 7:12 PM), when the light softens over the river.
Local tip Walk the edge paths and look at the stone shelters, then find a bench facing the river. Barges move slowly on the water below. Mind the bluff edge and keep children close.
Photo: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons - Dinner
Walleye
A mild freshwater fish, fried or baked, a regular dish in the river towns of the upper Mississippi, served with potatoes or slaw.
Local tip Ask whether the fish is local and how it is cooked.
If it rains. The river museum and aquarium and the house museum are the indoor stops, so do those in rain. Keep the elevator and Eagle Point for a dry hour, and skip the trails at the recreation area when they are slick.
Day 2. A baseball field and the river bluffs
4 stops · 0.6 mi on foot, 62.3 mi by carA day of farm country and river bluffs. A baseball field built for a film and a museum of farm toys in Dyersville, then a drive north-east to a state park on a bluff and a small town on the river. Check the road ahead.
If you only have half a dayField of Dreams movie site, then National Farm Toy Museum. A baseball diamond left in a field after a film, then a museum of scale farm machines in the same town.
- Drive from Eagle Point ParkAbout 44 min by car20.8 miWhere Day 1 ended.
- Breakfast
Eggs, hash browns and toast
A plain farm breakfast of eggs, crisp hash browns and buttered toast, with coffee, before the drive west.
Local tip Eat well, since the roads in farm country have few places to stop.
- 1Morning
Field of Dreams movie site
The baseball field built in 1988 on two farms outside Dyersville for the 1989 film Field of Dreams. It was left behind when filming ended, beside the farmhouse, and it is now a place people come to walk and play catch. It is open farmland with little shade, so check ahead on the season and the access.
Go when Morning, before the heat and the crowds build.
Local tip It is a field and a farmhouse, not a ticketed attraction in the usual sense, so go for the walk and the open sky. There is little shade in summer, so bring water, and check ahead on the season and access.
Photo: Madmaxmarchhare of Englis…, CC BY 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons About 15 min by car or transit3.4 mi - 2MiddayIndoor
National Farm Toy Museum
A museum in Dyersville of scale models, replicas and toys based on farm equipment, with a large number of cast iron toys and dioramas of farm homesteads. It is an indoor stop, so it works in rain. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look for the cast iron toys and the farm dioramas, and the short film about how the toys are made in Dyersville. It suits families and anyone who grew up near a farm. Check ahead on the opening.
Photo: Madmaxmarchhare of Englis…, CC BY 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons - Lunch
Loose meat sandwich
Seasoned ground beef cooked loose, not formed into a patty, and spooned onto a soft bun with pickles and mustard, a Midwest diner sandwich.
Local tip Add mustard and pickles to taste, and eat it with a spoon if it falls apart.
About 1 h 5 min by car38.1 mi - 3Afternoon
Pikes Peak State Park
A state park on a bluff of about 500 feet above the Mississippi, opposite the mouth of the Wisconsin River. Trails run along the top and down to the river. It is named for Zebulon Pike, who climbed the bluff in 1805. Take water, and stay on the paths near the edge.
Go when Afternoon, on a clear day.
Local tip The overlook is on the bluff top and the paths lead on from it. Stay behind the railings, take water, and wear shoes with grip. Check ahead on the park's trail conditions after rain.
About 11 min walk0.6 mi - 4Evening
McGregor
A small town on the Mississippi, founded as MacGregor's Landing in 1847, across the river from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Walk its main street along the river as the day ends. Pikes Peak State Park lies just to the south.
Go when Evening (about 7:12 PM), as the light turns gold on the river.
Local tip Walk the main street along the river and look across to Wisconsin. A small town, so keep expectations to a stroll and a view. Check ahead for what is open late.
Photo: w:Flickr user LHOON, CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons - Dinner
Cheese curds and a burger
Fresh cheese curds, fried or plain, that squeak when you bite them, with a burger, from a small town on the river near Wisconsin dairy country.
Local tip Eat the fresh ones soon after they are made, since they lose their squeak.
If it rains. The farm toy museum is indoors, and the field and the bluff are not. Rain makes the trails at the state park slippery, so stay behind the rails or skip the climb. Check the road ahead, since storms can flood low spots on the way north.
Day 3. The mounds and Norwegian Iowa
4 stops · 0.6 mi on foot, 38.4 mi by carMounds on a bluff, then Norwegian Iowa. Start at the monument above the Mississippi, drive west to Decorah, then spend the rest of the day in a Norwegian-American museum and a wooded park with a waterfall. Check the road ahead.
If you only have half a dayVesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, then Dunning's Spring Park. A museum of Norwegian-American life and folk art, then a wooded park with a waterfall.
- Travel from McGregorAbout 18 min by car or transit4.5 miWhere Day 2 ended.
- Breakfast
Lefse and krumkake
Two Norwegian-American sweets of Decorah: lefse, a soft flatbread of potato rolled with butter and sugar, and krumkake, a thin, crisp, cone shaped cookie.
Local tip Ask for lefse with butter and a little sugar, the plain way.
- 1Morning
Effigy Mounds National Monument
A national monument that protects more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native peoples, mostly in the first millennium CE. Many are shaped like animals, such as bears and birds. The mounds are a sacred legacy, so keep to the marked paths and treat the site with respect. The trails climb the bluff, and the visitor center is in Harpers Ferry.
Go when Morning, before the heat.
Local tip The mounds are sacred places, so stay on the marked paths and do not touch them. The trails climb the bluff and some are steep, so wear shoes with grip. Check ahead on the visitor center and the trails.
Photo: Archbob, CC0 on Wikimedia Commons About 59 min by car32.6 mi - 2MiddayBook ahead
Decorah
A small city in the bluffs of the Upper Iowa River, known for its Norwegian-American heritage and home of Luther College. Walk the main streets for the old buildings and the river valley around it. Each July the town holds Nordic Fest (dates vary).
Go when Midday, between the mounds and the museum.
Local tip Walk the main streets for the old buildings and the river valley. The town has a strong Norwegian-American feel, and Nordic Fest fills it each July (dates vary), so book ahead if you come then.
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons - Lunch
Iowa sweet corn and a pork chop
A thick grilled pork chop with fresh sweet corn on the cob and butter. Sweet corn is a late summer crop, so check what is in season when you come.
Local tip Corn tastes sweeter soon after it is picked, so ask whether it is from nearby.
About 9 min by car or transit1.3 mi - 3AfternoonIndoor
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
The national Norwegian-American museum and folk art school, with more than 33,000 artifacts and 12 historic buildings. Its exhibits follow Norwegian immigrants to America, and it is a place to see folk art such as rosemaling. Check ahead on the opening.
Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Choose a few of the historic buildings and exhibits rather than trying to see all of it. Look at the rosemaling and the immigrant stories. Check ahead on the opening and the guided tours.
Photo: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons About 11 min walk0.6 mi - 4Evening
Dunning's Spring Park
A wooded park of pathways, bridges and a waterfall below limestone walls, on the north side of Decorah. The waterfall is one of only a few in Iowa. Wear shoes with grip, since the paths can be wet, and check ahead after rain.
Go when Late afternoon (about 7:12 PM), under the trees.
Local tip The path to the waterfall is short and the walls are limestone. It can be wet and slippery, and the waterfall is smaller in dry weather. The Decorah Ice Cave is a short distance away. Check ahead after rain.
Photo: Tomruen, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons - Dinner
Roast chicken and a slice of pie
A plain supper of roast chicken with potatoes, then a slice of fruit pie, made with apple or rhubarb or whatever the season brings.
Local tip Ask which pie was baked that day.
If it rains. The museum in Decorah is the indoor stop. Keep the mounds and the waterfall for a dry window, since the bluff trails and the park paths turn wet and slippery. Check the road ahead and the forecast before each drive.
Departure day
After the last day. The trip ends in Decorah, a long road from Dubuque, so plan how you get back.Details
- Leaving Decorah
- If you hired a car in Dubuque, check when you book whether it can be returned somewhere else, or plan for the long road back. Check the road ahead and the forecast before you leave, and fill the tank the day before.
- A last stop
- A small painted plate or a woven piece in the Norwegian style is easy to carry home. Wrap anything fragile well.
- If you have a few hours
- Walk the main streets of Decorah once more, or follow the path in Dunning's Spring Park to the waterfall before you start the drive.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Dubuque?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, May and August to October are the most comfortable months for walking around Dubuque. This plan is built for september to October, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 3 days in Dubuque, planned for september to October. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
On foot, about 0.4 to 0.6 miles a day, and 106.1 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
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A trip idea · Updated November 2026
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