Iowa Highway 9 is the most northern of
Iowa's east–west highways, traversing the entire northern tier of counties. It runs from the eastern terminus of
South Dakota Highway 42 at the
South Dakota border east of
Sioux Falls, South Dakota near
Benclare, to the
Wisconsin border at Lansing where it continues as
Wisconsin Highway 82. It is largely rural in character, bypassing any large city. Making a few dips north and south, the highway largely follows a very straight east–west alignment.
Route description
Northwest Iowa
Iowa 9 enters Iowa from
South Dakota as a continuation of
South Dakota Highway 42. At the same place the highway passes by
Grand Falls Casino
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...
. The highway's entry point is east of Iowa's northwestern corner. It heads south and east through
Lyon County until it reaches
Larchwood. There, it turns south for about a mile (1.5 km) where it meets the northern end of
Iowa 182. From here, the highway runs due east for . During this straight stretch, it passes just to the south of
Lester. Just west of
Rock Rapids, it meets
U.S. Highway 75 (US 75). The two routes
overlap one another for as the travel through northern Rock Rapids. US 75 splits away to the south and Iowa 9 heads into downtown Rock Rapids, where it crosses the
Rock River Rock River may refer to:
Streams
;United States
* Rock River (Mississippi River), a tributary of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and Illinois
* Rock River (Iowa), a tributary of the Big Sioux River in Minnesota and Iowa
* Rock River (Lake Mich ...
.
East of Rock Rapids, the highway follows a
section line that is south of the
Minnesota state line. Halfway between Rock Rapids and
Little Rock, Iowa 9 intersects the northern and southern legs of County Road L14, which were previously
Iowa 91 and
Iowa 339, respectively. The highway passes Little Rock to the south and enters
Osceola County. It continues east for until it reaches an interchange with
Iowa 60 north of
Sibley, that highway's final exit before entering Minnesota. Shortly thereafter, Iowa 9 meets
US 59. The highway eases to the south as it follows the section line. It passes to the north of
Ocheyedan and to the south of
Rush Lake and
Harris.
As Iowa 9 enters
Dickinson County, it goes south of
Silver Lake
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
and
Lake Park. It crosses the western and eastern branches of the
Little Sioux River, which converge just south of the highway. The intersection with
Iowa 86 marks Iowa 9's entry into the
Iowa Great Lakes region. It becomes a four-lane
divided highway for a short distance as it curves slightly to the south. In northwestern
Spirit Lake, Iowa 9 is joined by
US 71 from the south and they travel east through the downtown area. The highways turn sharply to the northeast in order to cross a narrow portion of
East Okoboji Lake. They briefly follow the shore before turning back to the east and exiting Spirit Lake. east of town, US 71 turns to the north and Iowa 9 continues towards
Superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
*Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lake ...
. Iowa 9 enters
Emmet County and curves to the southeast as it approaches
Estherville. There, it crosses the
West Fork Des Moines River and
Iowa 4. It continues due east for . Just west of
Armstrong, it dips to the south and enters the southern part of town. It is overlapped by
Iowa 15 for two blocks, a mere .
North Central Iowa
In
Kossuth County
Kossuth County () is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,828. The county seat is Algona, Iowa, Algona.
History
Kossuth County was founded on January ...
, Iowa 9 passes through
Swea City. East of Swea City, it is joined by
U.S. Route 169. It passes north of
Lakota, where US 169 turns north. Travelling through
Buffalo Center in
Winnebago County, the route takes a short southerly dip to pass northeast of
Thompson, continues east, and then south overlapping
U.S. Route 69
U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as ...
to the northern edge of
Forest City where it again turns east.
In
Worth County, it travels past the northern edges of
Fertile
Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertilit ...
and
Hanlontown, where it soon crosses
Interstate 35. East of I-35, it passes through the south side of
Manly.
In
Mitchell County, it makes a straight run to and through
Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage".
Osage can also refer to:
* Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation
* Osage (Unicode b ...
, where it begins a concurrence with
U.S. Route 218
U.S. Highway 218 (US 218) is an original United States Highway that was created in 1926. Although technically a spur of US 18, US 218 neither begins nor ends at US 18, but overlaps US 18 for near Charles City, Iowa. US ...
. East of where US 218 turns south, Iowa 9 swings back north and resumes going east to
Riceville, crossing the
Wapsipinicon River in the process.
Northeast Iowa
In
Howard County, the highway makes a transition into the
Driftless Area of Iowa, with progressively more rugged terrain evident as one travels east. West of
Cresco, and south of
Lime Springs, it crosses
U.S. Route 63
U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US  ...
before going through Cresco. In the process, it crosses two tributaries of the
Turkey River.
In
Winneshiek County, it runs southeasterly, straightening out to go through
Decorah
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest communi ...
in the valley of the
Upper Iowa River. In Decorah, it crosses
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...
. It again takes a southeasterly drift. In
Allamakee County, the highway becomes crooked. Just east of the county line,
Iowa Highway 51 meets its northern terminus. Running south of
Waukon, it then turns north through Waukon, briefly joined by
Iowa Highway 76. In the northern part of Waukon, it curves north and east, into
Lansing, through the valley of
Clear Creek and downtown Lansing. Just before crossing the
Mississippi River, it meets the southern terminus of
Iowa Highway 26. It then turns onto the
Black Hawk Bridge, where it joins
Wisconsin Highway 82.
Major intersections
References
* ''Iowa Atlas and Gazetteer'', 3rd edition,
DeLorme
DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...
, 2004.
* ''2007 Transportation Map'',
Iowa Department of Transportation, 2007.
{{Attached KML
009
Transportation in Worth County, Iowa
Transportation in Allamakee County, Iowa