RailTrail

Marion County Park District

Marion Tallgrass Trail

The Marion Tallgrass Trail will eventually stretch 12 miles, from the trailhead site at 2093 Holland Road, just west of Marion, to the Hardin County line. The trail follows the former Erie-Lackawanna railroad.

In the first mile, visitors can find trumpeter swans, bald eagles, and a beaver lodge. As the sun set one recent evening at the trail, the air was full of the sounds of trumpeting swans, and an owl soared overhead.

As of December, 2010, two old railroad bridges have been converted for trail use, the first 1,250 feet have been paved, and the trail is cleared for almost a mile, to Herr Road. There’s also a paved parking lot, and a beautiful trailhead building. Volunteers are working to extend a primitive hiking trail, which now goes to St. Rt. 203.

We ask that visitors use caution, as the last 400+ feet of pave-ment has not yet been "backfilled", so there is a 3 inch drop at the edge of the paved surface.

Well-behaved dogs are permitted if on leashes, but we ask that you pick up their waste. The park closes at dusk (30 minutes after sunset).

The trail will eventually pass through the Big Island Wildlife area, and the entire trail will have a delightful mix of shade and open areas.

We are actively raising matching funds to extend the trail. We hope that Phase 2 will extend the trail by several miles, but that depends on how much of a local match our generous donors provide. It costs about $250,000 to build a mile of paved trail. With a 75% grant, our share is $62,500 per mile. We’ll also need to set aside additional funds for future maintenance. This local match will mostly come from private donations, so donations are very much needed. Please consider donating.

We will apply for grants in February, 2011 for phase 2, and will find out in August, 2011 whether we have been awarded the grants. If we get them, we’ll start the ball rolling on phase 2, although the process takes long enough that it will probably be 2012 before any paving occurs.

We're excited about this trail, and are looking forward to being great neighbors to those who live near the trail.

Above: Location of eastern terminus of Marion Tallgrass Trail.

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Naturally wild, naturally fun!