Along with U.S. Highway 6 (US 6) and US 151, it is part of the circuitous Amana Colonies Trail scenic byway.

Iowa Highway 220 begins at an intersection with US 6 in South Amana It heads north into South Amana where it goes through an S-curve before crossing an Iowa Interstate Railroad line.

At West Amana, Iowa 220 turns east onto an east–west alignment.

However, the route continued east for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) where it ended at East Amana and south for 1 mile (1.6 km) to Upper South Amana.

[6] Four years later, its eastern end was truncated back to the intersection with Iowa 149 in Amana.