Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Marion has 8.6 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Legion Park (1.8 mi), Faulkes Heritage Woods (0.6 mi), Thomas Park (0.6 mi). 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Marion’s land is conserved, about 549 acres.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #74 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
How much outdoors does Marion have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marion is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #74 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Legion Park, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Faulkes Heritage Woods
All 21 parks & preserves
549 conserved acres
5% of Marion’s land. Who manages Marion’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe Park Local Park | Town or city | 179 | Open |
| Faulkes Heritage Woods Local Recreation Area | County | 111 | Open |
| Legion Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Donnelly Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Thomas/Legion Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Boyson Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Willow Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Waldo'S Rock Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Taube Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Willowood Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
58 places to go in Marion
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
55 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 lakes & rivers
46 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
1 more on the History page.
September is the best month for walking in Marion
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 28 | 33 | 47 | 60 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 33 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Marion →
Marion and its neighbors
Marion has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | 5% | 0.5 | 15 | 77% | B+ |
| Cedar Rapids | 6% | 0.6 | 24 | 86% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marion
Where can I hike in Marion?
The longest trail networks: Legion Park, 1.8 miles; Faulkes Heritage Woods, 0.6 miles; Thomas Park, 0.6 miles; Lowe Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marion is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Iowa town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Marion’s trails?
Legion Park and Faulkes Heritage Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marion?
46 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of painted or protected lanes, 35 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Marion?
13,086 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marion or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 631 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Marion have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #74 of 140 in Iowa. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Marion neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →