I never thought that I'd end up having a favourite rest stop in my life. I do now. It's this one in…read moreDows, IA. I was driving down to Des Moines from Bloomington. The trip would take roughly four hours by car. I was oddly feeling sleepy. I also needed a pit stop. The next rest stop was in Dows. Sold! This rest area is nicely curated. It had a lot of parking spots. There were picnic tables outside, with places to barbeque (or grill). You could walk around the place to stretch. If you have a furry pet, there was lots of grass for both you and your pet to stretch out. What made this rest stop tug at my heart strings occurred when I walked into the building. The theme inside was Pac-Man. OMG! It was as if someone made a rest stop with me in mind. There was a Pac-Man banner, complete with ghosts, above the vending machines. Even the garbage receptacle was Pac-Man-themed. Awesome! To whomever designed this rest stop, thank you! Long live the 80's and Pac-Man! The women's restroom was exceptionally clean. The stalls do cater to shorter women, though. When I stood in one, I could technically see other women walking into the washroom and wash their hands. It's rather odd being a voyeur without being able to avoid it. Dows Junction is across the street, so you can grab some food and gas your car up before leaving Dows. I don't know when I'll be back doing a run down to Des Moines again, but Dows was a pleasant surprise. This rest stop made my day. (441)

This rest stop is beautiful! There were plenty of covered picnic tables, some with bbqs. The…read morewomen's bathroom was extremely clean, no weird smells, plenty of stalls (14), and a diaper changing station. There is plenty of parking. The bonus for me is they had a nice pet exercise area. My pup was able to spread his wings and run around. I would definitely recommend staying here for a pit stop, or even sleep.

Easy off and on from I-35, clean building and restrooms.nice areas to walk dogs too. Vending…read moremachines, computer technology.

This rest stop is very clean and new. There's plenty of sitting spaces and garbage bins. It's not a…read morepopular spot so it's not crowded.

This rest area is very nice and well maintained with clean restrooms. They also have vending…read moremachines as well as picnic tables on the outside and a very nice open area to walk around. Plenty of overnight truck parking available at this area.

The rest stops off of I-80 in Iowa are gorgeous. Many rest areas in other states are treated as…read moreutilitarian buildings, however this one elevates it to a work of art. The building is themed as a tribute to century farms in the area, with it being shaped as a clerestory window barn. However, it builds on the design with an open concept with natural lighting, which let the bright early autumn sunlight to filter through into the building. The roof is supported by glulam framing which adds to the natural, warm feeling that the space gives off. In the back, there's a room that has all glass walls, providing views of the forested area in the back with a trail. Around the building there are picnic tables and a pet relief area. The bathroom themselves were sparkling clean!

This rest area like most in the state of Iowa offers free WIFI service. The facility offers clean…read morerestrooms and vending machines. There is a nice display right outside of this large windmill blade. The parking is very limited but it's usually not hard to find parking spaces during the day hours. Picnic tables and over the head shade and even a nice walk path around the rest area facility. Overall a nice place to take a break from them long hours of driving or walk the dog. This rest area like most in the state of Iowa offers free WIFI service. The facility offers clean restrooms and vending machines. There is a nice display right outside of this large windmill blade. The parking is very limited but it's usually not hard to find parking spaces during the day hours. Picnic tables and over the head shade and even a nice walk path around the rest area facility. Overall a nice place to take a break from them long hours of driving or walk the dog.

Very clean offers a lot of amenities with the vending machines. Very clean inside and the outside…read moreareas are very nice to.

Recently came here since I was traveling on I-80 heading towards Des Moines . The one thing I love…read moreabout Iowa is that they know how to space out their rest stops appropriately compared to most states. This place had plenty of parking for cars and trucks. Restrooms here were quite adequate and are in decent condition. Solid vending machine options too. Great place for a casual stop

Lovely grounds with metal mesh picnic tables on concrete slabs in the grass, shaded by lots of…read moremature trees. Designated pet area at beginning of parking area has one picnic table in the shade (2pm in July) and no waste bags. No walking path around building. Grass is 'buggy' in July, fyi. Grass area backs up to corn fields. Plenty of parking for most types of vehicles. Saw a class-A RV towing a car parked with the semi's so there's room. Plenty of trash bins line the parking areas and recycling bins are near the building. Doors to building and restrooms have handicap auto open push buttons by each door. Restrooms are a bit older and clean-ish. No hooks in stall - they were removed. Probably to keep your belongings safe from a 'grab and run'. Leave your bag in your vehicle. Toilets are low, so good for kids. No tourist brochures in the building. A separate small enclosure, close to the bathroom building, houses several vending machines with both beverages and snacks.

The DEF pumps work good at this location, employees are very nice and helpful assisting customers,…read morethey have a McDonalds restaurant and Chester's chicken at this loves location with very limited parking for truckers.

Darius and Eric gave me world class customer service and I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM. GO LOVES! Yall…read moreare really good on customer service. Keep up the good work- you make America a better place.

This was location was incredible! They were kind enough to cook my wife and I some fresh chicken,…read morethe management was extremely helpful and polite, and the store was also clean and very well kept. Thank you Flying J! Anton

Richard is an amazing guy. He truly made my day with his professionalism, positive attitude, and…read morefriendly personality. I genuinely enjoyed the entire experience. Thank you for making it such a memorable one!

Very clean rest area nice Pet area open. Everything was nice and clean and well-maintained.read more

Very nice and clean rest area with limited truck parking. There are vending machines at this rest…read morearea and free WiFi like most of the other rest areas in the state of Iowa. Restrooms were very clean from the toilets to the sink plus it was staff on duty making sure it was sanitary. There is a lot of art display outside of the facility including picnic tables. Overall a nice rest area spot to take a nice break from them long travel hours driving.

I was driving from Bloomington, MN to Des Moines, IA. A full tank of gas would have got me to Des…read moreMoines fine. However, I had made a stop in Elma, IA to visit my friend at the cemetery. It meant that I needed a gas station before I hit my final destination. I did a search on my map app and found this BP gas station at Dows Junction. It was on my route. Perfect! After doing a pit stop across the street at Dows Rest Area, I headed over to Dows Junction. It has BP, a convenience store, Godfather's Pizza, and Arby's. I visited half the businesses here. BP was my first stop. I then hit Arby's because I needed fuel. I love the BP app. It's so easy to keep your points and credit cards stowed. You pull out your app and indicate that you want to pay for gas. The app locates the gas station where you are at, you enter your pump number, the app unlocks it, and you fuel away. The app is Canadian credit card-friendly. Many American-based apps can't handle postal codes when it comes to entering your credit card information with a billing address. This app does. There must be five or six pumps here. There were a handful of folks pumping gas when I got here. When I left, it was still doing steady business. The pump that I used worked well. This gas station was exceptionally clean and nicely maintained. The best part about using the app is that when you purchase a cumulative total of $100 worth of gas fill-ups, you unlock a five-cent-per-litre discount off all gas purchases for the rest of that month. Considering how crazy gas prices have been, it was a nice discount to take advantage of. I liked fuelling my car here that I came back the next day to fill my car up as I drove back to Bloomington. It's a decent gas station. I'd return here if I plan on doing another road trip to Des Moines. (442)

Many unhealthy snacks options here. Fuel dispenser worked well. Access is poorly marked. Men's…read morerestroom not the best, with leaking toilets. The women's was clean. The inside of the facility had a moldy stench.