James Enright is a Sioux City native, avid hiker, fish keeper, and prairie enthusiast.

The 36-mile Glacial Trail Scenic Byway loops through the Little Sioux River valley, covering parts of O’Brien, Buena Vista, Clay, and Cherokee counties. Along the way, it reveals prairie bluffs, oak savanna, timber, deep ravines, and fertile farmland. I first visited with my wife several years ago and was immediately struck by the landscape. I didn’t return until May of 2025, when a new job required travel throughout northwest Iowa. Since then, I’ve driven at least one stretch of the byway more than 50 times this summer.

There is a sense of familiarity in these glacial hills that reminds me of my native Loess Hills. The prairie mostly occupies hillsides too steep to plow, tile, or even graze. Some lower regions also contain mixes of remnant and restored prairie. The ridges are generally dry, open, and exposed to near-constant wind. I encounter many drought-tolerant plants here that I see back home, including rough and dotted blazing stars, spiny golden asters, silky asters, and various drought-tolerant grasses like dropseed and muhly.

If I didn’t know better, I might expect to see yucca, skeletonweed, or prairie bluets on the west- or southwest-facing ridges. This region contains more remnant prairie than anywhere else in Iowa outside of the Loess Hills.

James Enright is a Sioux City native, avid hiker, fish keeper, and prairie enthusiast.

I have spent most of my adult life hiking the Loess Hills prairies. The rugged Loess prairies are my home. I was born there, raised there, and I am content to spend the rest of my days hiking those bluffs and prairies.

Just over a year ago, I started sharing pictures of my Loess Hills adventures and information regarding the various preserves I visit on social media. I was surprised by the amount of feedback I received. To my surprise, even many locals were unaware that these preserves existed.

I spent most of the winter and early spring of 2025 hiking and photographing various preserves in the Sioux City area. I visited some of my favorites with snow on the ground: Stone State Park, Heendah Hills, The Broken Kettle Grasslands, Riverside Bluffs, Five Ridge Prairie, The Sioux City Prairie, and others.

Things changed in May 2025 when I began a new career path, which would take me on the road all over northwest Iowa five days per week. I decided to save my hiking posts for long weekend hikes in the hills until a fateful mishap at work left me lost and confused about my whereabouts.