Wayfarrow

Bernina

Ghost town · Mahaska County, Iowa

Pella quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1910, 1:62,500)
Pella quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1910, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Bernina is a ghost town in Mahaska County, Iowa. It is one of 5 former communities in Mahaska County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 8th among the 79 Iowa counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Bernina as a historical populated place on the Peoria topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 41.4078° N, 92.7660° W.

Key facts

USGS quadranglePeoria
Elevation753 ft
Nearest living townLeighton, IA
Distance to it4.9 miles
GNIS feature ID464267
Coordinates41.40778, -92.76603

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Bernina is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Leighton, IA (population 159), about 4.9 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 753 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Bernina?

Bernina is in Mahaska County, Iowa, at 41.4078, -92.7660.

How many ghost towns are in Mahaska County?

Mahaska County, Iowa has 5 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.