Grant Wood Trail
Trail Details
Surface Type: 10 miles paved. 2 miles on the eastern end are crushed limestone.
Miles: 12 miles Council Street NE (Cedar Rapids to Springville Rd (rural Linn County)
Trail Description: This trail starts in Cedar Rapids, goes through Marion and ends in rural Linn County. There is currently a gap, then the grass only trail takes back up at Alderman Rd to Linn Jones Road. Parts of this trail are in the city and part is rural. It is relatively flat as it is a former railroad corridor, the Milwaukee Road. The urban section has many connections with other trails and bike lanes. The rural section is very scenic with rolling Iowa farmland and forested sections.
Features & Sites: plenty of dining options in town and places to stop for bathrooms or refreshments. Milwaukee Road bridge, bridge over 7th Avenue, Marion Public Library, Marion City Square Park, Waldo’s Rock, Draper Park caboose.
Similar Trails: Cedar Valley Nature Trail and Cedar River Trail segment of the CVNT
Links to the following trails:
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“The Grant Wood Trail has made an east west connection like no other! Quaint city life in Marion and in minutes out in the countryside. You can still see remnants of railroad history.”
-Diane H
Green is paved trail, brown is crushed limestone
Grant Wood Trail
Originally this was Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, better known as the Milwaukee Road. It was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The rail corridor was purchased by LCTA in 1997. See our history section! Future plans are to connect north to Springville and then east to Martelle by following the rail line.
