Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad

Boone grew up as a railroad town in the nineteenth century, a division point on a major transcontinental line where crews changed and trains were serviced. Rail work shaped the town's identity, and Boone claims a proud railroad heritage, including its connection to Kate Shelley, a teenage girl who in 1881 famously crawled across a storm-damaged bridge to warn an oncoming train and prevent disaster.

The Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad grew out of that heritage, founded by railroad preservationists to keep vintage trains running on a scenic stretch of former interurban line. It has become one of central Iowa's most-loved attractions, drawing families and rail fans to ride the historic equipment and learn the region's deep ties to the railroad.

The excursion carries passengers out from the Boone depot through the Des Moines River valley, a green corridor of woods and farmland far removed from the interstate world. The centerpiece is the crossing of a tall steel trestle over Bass Point Creek, where the train rolls out high above the valley and riders can look straight down at the treetops and stream below.

Trains are pulled by restored locomotives, including on many days a working steam engine that fills the valley with the sound and smell of the steam era. Classic coaches and open cars let passengers take in the scenery, and the round trip offers a relaxed, old-fashioned way to see a beautiful and little-known corner of central Iowa.

The railroad runs a full calendar of special excursions that change with the seasons. Autumn brings fall-color rides when the valley's hardwoods turn gold and red, and the holiday season brings festive themed trains that are especially popular with families. Dinner trains and other special events round out the schedule.

These themed rides have made the railroad a tradition for many Iowa families, who return year after year for a particular seasonal outing. Because the popular excursions can sell out, especially around the holidays, it pays to plan ahead, but the payoff is a memorable ride through some of central Iowa's prettiest scenery.

The Des Moines River valley that the railroad crosses lies within the ancestral homelands of the Ioway, for whom the state is named, along with the Meskwaki and Sauk peoples who lived and traveled across central Iowa. Their descendants remain part of Iowa today, with the Meskwaki owning their Settlement to the east near Tama.

The valley's steep, wooded slopes stand in contrast to the open farmland around them, and just to the south lies Ledges State Park, where sandstone canyons and the river make one of the state's most scenic natural areas. Together the railroad and the park make Boone a rewarding base for a day among central Iowa's rivers, woods, and railroad history.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.