Iowa 80, located off Hwy. 80 in Walcott, Iowa, is the world’s largest truck stop (now a Travelcenter of America franchise). 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, Iowa 80 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 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.
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 pretty fun to poke around.
Definitely an impressive sight. Always stop there when that far north heading west. Hope to get back there this year.
We not only stopped at the I-80 Truck Stop back in 2012, on our way out west to do the National Parks, we stayed there over night. Lots to see and do. There are 2 large restaurants, gift shops, shoe stores for the ladies and of course the truckers show room and chrome shop. And it all started as a very small fuel stop back in the day.
Thanks for posting this cool truck stop location! I signed up for their catalog and notifications.
I gotta say, that truck stop gives me ‘shivers’. I wish it was closer to home (NV) because I’d be there yesterday – ha. In all my years trucking, I never saw anything LIKE it.