Find the top rated hike trails in Marion, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This is another great trail in the Cedar Valley Trail system. It’s a smooth trail and though it runs near a road the noise is not deafening. I enjoyed this trail and I rate it 5 stars. Traveling cyclist Facebook
I wanted to ride the Cedar Valley Lakes Trail while I was in the area. I started from Deerwood Road near Deerwood Park. I rode about 4 miles until 11th street where the trail was closed. I crossed the river north of there and rode a trail on the other side of the river which was also closed at 11th street. Doing research I am not sure if it is all closed or not. I will return in the future and hope this will be open. Traveling cyclist Facebook
I discovered this trail after connecting from the Gilbert Drive Trail. It is a great little trail.
Traveling cyclist
Facebook
I started this trail at Deerwood Park and rode it to the connection to the Evansdale Trail and back. I noticed going east on the south side it has a sign bike trail ONE WAY and vice versa in the north side heading west. 5 stars for this shorty. Traveling cyclist Facebook
I rode this trail over three days on ten mile out and back trips in perfect weather starting in Dubuque to Durango, then next day to Epworth, then on to Dyersville. I normally try to ride paved trails but this one was a pleasant surprise. The crushed stone is like cement and I could ride 18 MPH easily with no issue. It was very scenic and mostly shaded with no big hills. Even the recent rain on day two did not seem to affect it. I rate this one high! This is the epitome of a great gravel trail. 5 stars. Traveling cyclist Facebook
We ( recumbent trike & e-bike) headed West from the Kiwanis park. Turned around after 9km as the surface was really tough on the trike. There’s 2 good wheel tracks for bikes, but the trike had to ride partially in the coarse trail ballast. Scenic area with farm views and a huge windmill farm in the distance.
I have only made it from Sageville to Graf but it is a nice wide crushed stone path with gorgeous scenery from cool rock formations, rolling hills, and streams. Very smooth riding compared to other paths I’ve been on. I will definitely be returning hopefully to finish the trail west.
June 21, 2024
Our second day on the Heritage was even better than the first; more wildlife. It was partly sunny, still hot, and we had a 5 MPH wind from the west, gusting to around 10mph. For this ride we parked at the Epworth parking lot and headed west to Farley. There was quite a bit of elevation on this 4 mile trip (344 feet), which was a total of 5 miles as we went into Farley for lunch. After, we headed east on the trail and went to the Graf parking area. The trail was the same as the day before, perfect. The total elevation on the after lunch ride was only 141 feet. When we got back to Epworth, we were disappointed to see someone hit one of our riders car that was parked there; no note, no nothing, I would have left a note to let the driver know if I hit their car. SMH. It was a bit of a downer to an otherwise great day. Kevin
June 20 and 21, 2024
We explored the Heritage trail over two days in June. It was hot, partly sunny with a light breeze out of the west at 9 mph gusting to 15 mph. Day 1 we rode from Dyersville to Farley and return to Dyersville. It was day three in the saddle, so we took it easy and did the 12 miles in just over an hour. There was some elevation, around 250 feet going east. The trail started as asphalt but quickly turned to crushed rock/limestone. It was no issue for the group (one rider had a road back and all was good). This was perfect rails to trails. Covered ride, well maintained path and nature all around us. Was this heaven, no, it was Iowa. I highly recommend the Heritage. One PSA - the trail is not free. There is a pass required and there are several options. We took an annual pass and did not mind the donation. Enjoy the ride and I hope this helps. Kevin
I've run on the Old Creamery Nature Trail several dozen times per year for over a decade. As trails go it is well kept, and was even resurfaced a few years ago. When there has been a lot of rain, or after a winter thaw, there can be some muddy areas but those tend to be minimal and are not very common. The Vinton side of the trail is usually in slightly better condition than the Dysart side. Both the Vinton and Dysart ends of the trail are bounded by open farmland. The middle section of the trail for miles on either side of Garrison is mostly wooded and usually provides a chance to spot some wildlife. I've frequently seen eagle, owl, hawk, pheasant, turkey, deer, fox, groundhog, possum, raccoon, coyote and occasionally even a person or two. My experience is that the section from Vinton to Garrison will have a few people on it about half of the time when the weather is nice, but Dysart to Garrison sees almost no traffic so it presents an ideal opportunity for solitude if you are so inclined.
This was a fun trail to ride. Almost 100% concrete, flat and fast. It’s a nice mix of woods, town and suburbs and some industrial areas.
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