Iowa 80, located off Hwy. 80 in Walcott, Iowa, is the world’s largest truck stop. How large are we talking? 220 acres large (which, by the way, is four times larger than the average truck stop). The site receives more than 5,000 visitors daily, which evens out to about one million cups of coffee and 90 tons of meat served annually. Holy cow!
When you first arrive, you’ll find a parking lot suitable for 900 trucks, a gas station, weigh stations, a service station, and even a truck wash station. Keep driving, though, and you’ll discover much, much more.
Next, you’ll admire the two-story, 30,000-square-foot truckers showroom, which is the largest trucking store in the country (we’re sure there’s tons of stuff RVers may find interesting too). You can pretty much purchase anything here, including books, maps, travel gear, apparel, cleaners, phone accessories, and gifts, as well as some maintenance supplies such as headlights and bumpers. You won’t be able to miss the gigantic rotating platform that displays custom-built show trucks.
If you need some fuel yourself, the world’s largest truck stop won’t let you down. There’s a restaurant (that can seat up to 350 people!) offering home-cooked meals and a fresh salad bar. There is also a large food court offering several fast-food and coffee options.
Oh… and if all that driving has your back hurting, and all these pit stops have your teeth rotting from the sugary drinks you’ve been drinking, don’t fret, there’s a dentist and a chiropractic office on-site too. Once you’ve finished there, you can head to the barbershop to get a haircut, and then head into the movie theater to catch up on the latest flicks. You can even give your dog a bath at the Dogomat!
If you’re thirsty again after the movie, go hang out by the fireplace with a cold drink of choice in the Driver’s Den Lounge, a cozy lounge with leather chairs. Sounds pretty nice, huh?
Do you know any other truck stops or rest areas with their own website? Spend some time exploring Iowa 80’s official website here. It’s fun to poke around, and even more fun to visit.
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If we ever went that far east, this would be a must-see place. But, that probably won’t happen so we have to settle for stops at Buc-ee’s, which does not allow trucks. Nevertheless, all Buc-ee’s are big and jammed to the hilt – all the time. Fun place though crowded.
Thank you, Emily! If we get that far west, then I will try to remember where it is. Generally, we don’t even go inside at truck stops. I use the Open Roads fuel card, which allows me to pay for fuel and DEF at the pump. I walk around the RV and towed checking the tires and the tow-bar connections while the pump runs. If I need DEF, then I pull slightly forward to fill that tank. Finally, I pull to the stop line so I can use our bathroom. During all this DW takes the puppy to pee, usually returning well-ahead of my use of our facilities. If we are staying nearby, I’ll check this place via the Jeep. Thanks again! 🙂
While I-80 is indeed a “Not To Miss” stop if you are passing by, but also another is the Truck Museum that shares the north boundary. They only request a donation, but it will be well worth however much you choose to put in the jar. Plan to add an extra hour to the stop…
We landed there one Memorial Day thanks to a cardboard packaging staple. Although there was a tire center there and two others across the street, none were able to help us out in a reasonable amount of time (less than four hours). Alas we were directed to head east toward Davenport, where we found a Farm & Fleet that plugged and patched our truck tire. In happier times, a visit to Iowa 80 would have been more entertaining!