Visiting Colorful Iowa 80 – the World’s Largest Truck Stop

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I love a good roadtrip, ESPECIALLY in the USA. One of the main reasons is because of the unique (putting it lightly) roadside attractions along the way. On my short drive from Chicago, Illinois to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a weekend trip, I learned about Iowa 80 – allegedly the world’s largest truck stop??

The WORLD’s largest???

That was enough to peak my interest.

For the past two years, I’ve been going to Chicago for Suenos Music Festival, an annual 2-day Latine music festival in May. Since I work the back half of the week, I generally have to take an entire week off to attend. Now, I love Chicago and it’s in my opinion the prettiest major city in the USA and one of my all time favorites to visit, but I don’t need to spend a week there every year.

Especially not with my wallet looking the way it does.

So instead, I’ve been using the extra days to roadtrip to a nearby midwestern state. Previously I’ve visited Indianapolis, Indiana and had a fantastic time, so this year I decided to see a new state and city and drive to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

It was only natural I would need to stop somewhere for gas and snacks.

What is Iowa 80?

Iowa 80 is a giant truck stop and gas station in Walcott , Iowa, just past the border of Iowa and Illinois. For reference, it’s about 2 hours and 45 minutes from Chicago, IL and 2 hours and 30 minutes from Des Moines, IA.

The town of Walcott is located on Highway 80, aka Interstate 80, the transcontinental U.S. freeway that connects the two coasts from San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey. Some would consider Teaneck to be part of the New York metropolitan area, but I know you New YOHKAHS like to tussle over what’s considered what so I’ll let y’all decide that.

Now, I-80 was one of the original routes when the Interstate Highway System was being drafted in 1956. President Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted it to resemble Germany’s Autobahn system in order to provide safer travel for civilians, stimulate economic growth through the transport of goods, and improve national defense.

Eisenhower unfortunately did not copy the Autobahn’s speed limits, but I digress.

America was now connected and, more importantly, CAPITAL was connected. Cha ching baby. And with that, truck drivers and the American shipping industry was revolutionized. Which means all those weary truck drivers need a place to stop on their route.

Iowa 80 opened for business in 1964 at what is now Exit 284 on I-80 and have been chugging along ever since. But…is a big truck stop REALLY worth pulling over for? Let’s get into it.

Logistics

• address: 755 W Iowa 80 Rd, Walcott, IA 52773
• hours: open 24/7
• costs: free to visit, but certain activities (like the showers) have a fee

Is Iowa 80 ACTUALLY the Largest Truck Stop?

Lollll, yes, Iowa 80 is currently the largest truck stop. I don’t know if they set out to claim that title, but they definitely have it now. Iowa 80 is technically bigger than the largest Buc-ee’s, with Buc-ee’s 74,000 square feet and Iowa 80 being approximately 130,000 square feet. For all you metric users, Iowa 80 can hold about 317 more adult African elephants than Buc-ee’s.

Though, also technically, Buc-ee’s gas station is bigger than Iowa 80 and is the largest gas station in the USA. And similar to the competitive rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in more than one waysss, Buc-ee’s is currently planning to 1-Up Iowa 80 by building an even bigger facility in Texas.

Anyways, Iowa 80 has space for 900 truck parking spots, 15 diesel fuel pumps, and a dedicated pump for dispensing bulk diesel exhaust fluid. I don’t even know what that is, but it’s probably cool for truckers. Four-hundred and fifty employees staff the Iowa 80 facility, there’s a movie theater, a gym, showers (for a fee), a barber shop, laundromat, dog park and pet washing station, a huge gift shop, and even a trucking museum.

It’s…massive.

My Experience

So what’s it like visiting Iowa 80? We pulled into Iowa 80 and immediately snagged a spot near the entrance to the megacomplex. I didn’t actually need gas lol.

In the entranceway, there’s a small timeline of the facility’s history, as well as some fun facts. It then immediately opens up to the gift shop. There are all the typical things like t-shirts, magnets, and mugs, as well local finds like meats and cheeses from nearby farms.

Also grass flip flops. Yes the grass is real and grown in Iowa.

I spent like 20 minutes just looking around because it sure kept me guessing. There’s also a huge toy area for kids, camo clothing, flag pins, and…nunchucks??

In terms of food, I hate to compare it to Buc-ee’s but the food at Iowa 80 was skippable. It’s mostly fast food, though I didn’t try their in-house kitchen which may be where the magic is. It’s homestyle-American cuisine and offers a la carte and buffet at pretty reasonable prices.

The other options are:

• Wendy’s
• Pizza Hut
• Taco Bell
• Dairy Queen/Orange Julius
• Einstein Bros. Bagels/Caribou Coffee
• Blimpie (like a Subway?)

Aside from that, the rest of the main building is like a trucker showcase area where you can browse and buy items for your semi-truck. Like, ANY item. They had steering wheels, covers for the steering wheels, tail lights, and…yanno, whatever else trucks need haha.

You get the picture. There’s a lotta truck stuff. Seems super helpful if you’re a trucker and for the rest of us pretty interesting. My favorite part though was the giant rotating semi-truck tractor unit. I can’t tell you what was significant enough about it to be displayed on the showcase floor, but it was really cool to climb in and see what the inside looked like.

Across the street, you’ll also find the Trucking Museum. It has free admission (donations encouraged) but note that it DOES have opening and closing times so be mindful if you plan on visiting that part. It’s a small museum, with a short portion that explains the early history of trucking, then a showcase floor of all the early iterations of trucks used in America.

I’d budget for 30 minutes to 1 hour to peruse the whole trucking museum and they typically limit entry 10-15 minutes before closing. If your visit to Iowa 80 falls within the opening times, I highly recommend swinging by.

Both the museum and the main building of Iowa 80 are kid-friendly and navigable by wheelchair and with strollers.

Conclusion

Overall, Iowa 80 was cute! The gift shop part was…strange, but mildly entertaining, and it was cool to see the inside of a truck cabin. Even though I’m not much of a car or truck person, I do like learning random facts so I enjoyed the museum.

Is Iowa 80 worth the pitstop….I mean, it depends on how much you like kitschy things. For most people, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to see it. However, if you’re into random quirky side quests and you’re driving through the area anyway, yeah it’s a good stop! Even just to stretch your legs a bit.

But what do you think? Would you make a pitstop at Iowa 80? If you already have, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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