The Linn County Trails Association had the ribbon cutting set for 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, at Mt. Calvary Cemetery on 32nd Street Drive SE. The event listing told visitors to watch the CeMar segment on its trail map, where the light blue for "under construction" would turn dark green for "completed" that day. Then the association posted the event as postponed due to rain, with the rain date "TBD."
Four days earlier, a second closure had started a few miles north. On Oct. 1, the Indian Creek Trail closed for a bridge project expected to run into spring 2027.
Marion's trail map is going to be smaller this winter. Every closure sits on or near Indian Creek. The routes still open run east and west across the north side of town, and both projects causing the closures are building connections the city has had on paper for years.
The Light Blue Line Is Still Light Blue
The CeMar Trail's fifth and final phase covers the stretch from the Indian Creek bridge near Menards to Grand Avenue. Peterson Contractors closed it on Monday, March 30, and the city said at the time that it would stay closed for several months during construction. In late May the city said two of the three bridges were set and the project was on schedule to open "this fall."
The City of Marion's Oct. 9 update from City Manager Ryan Waller gives the more recent picture. Repeated rain in September left parts of the trail too wet to work on. The contractor was back on site that week, and the trail "remains an active construction zone." The city asked the public to stay out of the work zone and follow posted signs. The update gives no new opening date.
Planning for this segment started in 2010. Within Marion, the project cost about $7.7 million, and federal grants administered by the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization covered about $5.7 million. When it opens, it will connect Uptown Marion to Downtown Cedar Rapids. For now, the light blue line on the map is accurate.
Every Closure Sits on the Same Creek
The second closure is part of the Alburnett Road Extension. Phase 1 extends Alburnett Road south from Boyson Road to 7th Avenue and includes a new road bridge over Indian Creek inside Willow Park. The city's Sept. 25 update said Rathje Construction would start this fall with earthwork and bridge construction in the Willow Park area. The Indian Creek Trail is closed from the Boyson Trail to Central Avenue until all bridge work is finished.
The same update listed one more closure. Most of Marion's parks and trails had reopened after the Sept. 19-20 storms, but the unpaved stretch of the Boyson Trail between Boyson Road and the Donnelly Park bridge was still closed for repairs.
| Segment | Status | Reason | Latest city word |
|---|---|---|---|
| CeMar Trail, Indian Creek bridge near Menards to Grand Avenue | Closed since March 30 | Phase 5 construction | Oct. 9: active construction zone, no opening date |
| Indian Creek Trail, Boyson Trail to Central Avenue | Closed Oct. 1 into spring 2027 | Alburnett Road bridge in Willow Park | Sept. 25: closed until bridge work is complete |
| Boyson Trail, unpaved stretch from Boyson Road to Donnelly Park bridge | Closed | Storm repairs | Sept. 25: closed while repairs are finished |
The full Indian Creek Trail is 2 miles of paved path. It runs along the creek from the Boyson Trail, just north of 8th Avenue, to the Tower Terrace Road sidepaths. Willow Park, where the bridge is going in, has a playground, restrooms and a ball diamond. The Sept. 25 notice asks people to stay out of the construction area until the trail officially reopens, so anyone headed that way should check the city's current notices first.
All three closures are along the creek valley, which holds the trails that run north and south. The open trails run in the other direction.
The Routes That Stay Open Run East to West
Grant Wood Trail. This is the longest continuous route in town: 5.2 miles of paved trail and sidepaths along a former railroad right-of-way, from the western city limits to Waldo's Rock Park on the east side. It also connects to Cedar Rapids, which clears snow and ice in winter on the Grant Wood Trail from Council Street NE to the Marion city limits, according to the City of Cedar Rapids winter recreation page.
Lowe Park. This 180-acre park on the north side is the main walking option away from the creek this season. The east entrance at 4500 N. 10th Street leads to the walking trails, the Klopfenstein Amphitheater and the demonstration gardens. The Irish Drive entrance has more parking and trails that link the east and west halves of the park. The paved Lowe Park Trail runs 1.25 miles from 10th Street to the Oak Ridge Middle School parking lot. The Lowe Park Art Trail winds past sculptures and behind the amphitheater.
Lowe Park's west half is reached from 4901 Alburnett Road. That is the same road the city is now extending south, well below the park.
Thomas Park and the Krumboltz Trail. The Krumboltz Trail is 0.75 mile of paved path from Thomas Park to the Grand Avenue spur. It will become part of the CeMar Trail once the last phase connects. Thomas Park has some storm damage. The Sept. 25 update said the sandbox had been removed, the splash pad surface was damaged, and staff were working on a replacement plan for both.
For Dog Walkers
Two fenced or leashed options are unaffected by the creek work:
- K9 Acres, 5200 Golf Course Road near Gardner Golf Course, is an 11-acre fenced off-leash park. Its 8.1-acre main yard has a 0.3-mile walking trail, and there are separate training and small-dog yards. It's listed on the City of Cedar Rapids off-leash dog park page.
- Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids has more than seven miles of trails across more than 400 acres. It's open 365 days a year from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and leashed dogs are allowed on the grounds and trails. The center's campus trails, called the Cedar Greenbelt Trail, are also used for snowshoeing in winter.
A Fall Calendar on the Open Ground
The city's fall events are mostly in Uptown and at parks away from the construction. The busiest week is the one after this post publishes.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Marion Monster Mash, with trunk-or-treating and games on 7th Avenue between 10th and 12th Streets and in the Central Plaza at City Square Park. It's free, and Farmers State Bank, the City of Marion and the Uptown Marion District are co-hosting.
- Monday, Oct. 26, 4 to 6 p.m.: Volunteers will plant 100 three-gallon trees at the Lowe Park Woodland, 4401 Irish Drive.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 4 to 6 p.m.: The Marion Police Department's new "Sirens and Sweets" event at 6315 Hwy 151, with a police squad car, fire engine and ambulance on display and a "Fill the Squad Car" food drive.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Trick-or-treating has no set start time and should end by 8 p.m. Households taking part leave their porch lights on.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 3 to 5 p.m.: Volunteers will plant 100 seedlings at the Legion Park Disc Golf Course, 343 Marion Boulevard.
The two plantings are part of the city's plan to plant 250 trees this fall for the 250th anniversary of the United States. Marion's Urban Forestry Division supplies the equipment and shows volunteers how to plant, and the city asks people to register in advance, as described in the Oct. 16 city update.
Uptown is also getting ready for winter. Parks and Recreation is putting up more than 100,000 winter lights around Marion, winterizing the Central Plaza water feature and moving the Skate Shack to the Depot for the Ice Loop. Uptown Coffee Company is at 760 11th Street, on the Uptown side of the Thomas Park trails.
What Spring Hands Back
The closures are temporary, and both projects add connections when they finish.
The Alburnett Road bridge is the next step in a plan Marion's City Council approved on Feb. 15, 2001. That plan extended Alburnett Road south across Indian Creek, through Willow Park and along 2nd Street to 7th Avenue. When Phase 1 is done, the stretch of 2nd Street between 7th and 9th Avenues will be renamed Alburnett Road. The intersections at 7th Avenue, 8th Avenue and Boyson Road will be rebuilt with new traffic signals. The city's stated goal is to take traffic pressure off Uptown Marion and 10th Street.
CeMar's last phase will finish a trail connection between Uptown Marion and Downtown Cedar Rapids that has been in planning since 2010. Cedar Rapids already clears snow and ice on the CeMar Trail from 17th Street NE to 33rd Street SE. The new segment will extend that route into Marion.
Downtown Cedar Rapids has its own project to wait for. KCRG reported on Oct. 14 that the final section of the 164-foot Alliant Energy LightLine tower was in place, and that the city expects the LightLine project to be finished in 2027. ConnectCR board member Steve Sovern told KCRG the tower is "going to be a terrific destination for our trail system and our city."
Until those projects finish, Marion's open trail routes are the Grant Wood Trail, Lowe Park, the Krumboltz Trail through Thomas Park, and whatever reopens along Indian Creek when the city lifts the closures.
If you're thinking about how a future move fits with the trails Marion is building, I'm happy to go over which parts of town these connections reach and when they're expected to open. Cory Rath is always glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
