Iowa Highway 44 (Iowa 44) is an east–west highway in the central and west-central portions of the state. It runs parallel to

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

, which runs to the south for most of Iowa 44's route. Iowa 44 begins at its junction with U.S. Highway 30 four miles (6 km) northeast of Logan. It ends at an interchange with the

Iowa Highway 141 Iowa Highway 141 (Iowa 141) is an east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying comm ...

freeway at Grimes. Iowa 44 was created in 1969 when

Iowa Highway 64 Iowa Highway 64 (Iowa 64) is a state highway that runs through two counties in east central Iowa. It begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 151 (US 151) in Anamosa and ends at the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Miss ...

was shortened to its current route in eastern

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. Most of the route is a part of the Western Skies Scenic Byway.

Route description

Iowa Highway 44 begins between Logan and Woodbine on U.S. Highway 30. It goes east to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, where it intersects Iowa Highway 191, then continues east to Harlan, where it intersects

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

. It continues east from Harlan and intersects Iowa Highway 173 at Kimballton and

U.S. Highway 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...

Hamlin Hamlin may refer to: Places * Hamlin, Iowa, a city * Hamlin, Kansas, a city * Hamlin, Kentucky, a town * Hamlin, Maine, a town * Hamlin, Michigan, a former community * Hamlin, New York, a town ** Hamlin (CDP), New York, a census-designated pl ...

. It then continues to Guthrie Center, where it intersects

Iowa Highway 25 Iowa Highway 25 (Iowa 25) is a north–south highway in the southwest and west-central portion of the state. It begins at Iowa 2 south of Clearfield. It heads north along a two-lane road through Creston, Greenfield, and Gu ...

and Panora, where it intersects

Iowa Highway 4 Iowa Highway 4 (Iowa 4) is a state highway which runs from north to south across the state of Iowa. It is long, beginning at an intersection with Iowa Highway 44 in Panora and ending at the Minnesota state line north of Estherville. It cont ...

. It then intersects U.S. Highway 169 three miles (5 km) before entering

Dallas Center Dallas Center is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,901 during the 2020 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Dallas Center got its start in the year 1869, f ...

and ends at a freeway interchange with

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has i ...

in the

Des Moines metropolitan area The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River. Des Moines serves as the capital of the U.S ...

History

Iowa 44 was created on January 1, 1969, when the

Iowa State Highway Commission The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also responsi ...

reorganized the state's primary highway system. Iowa 44 was one of 26 state highways to receive a new route number. Prior to 1969, what is now Iowa 44 was part of two highways, Iowa 64 and Iowa 39. Since its designation, the route has undergone few changes. The westernmost of Iowa 44 are part of the state's Western Skies Scenic Byway.

Major intersections

References

{{Attached KML 044 Transportation in Harrison County, Iowa Transportation in Shelby County, Iowa Transportation in Audubon County, Iowa Transportation in Guthrie County, Iowa Transportation in Dallas County, Iowa Transportation in Polk County, Iowa