Faulkes Heritage Woods

About Faulkes Heritage Woods: Located on the Cedar Rapids and Marion border, Faulkes Heritage Woods is an outdoor gem in one of Iowa's most populous counties. The native woodland along Indian Creek features over 300 plant species, a 1.5 mile walking trail and high-quality wildlife habitat. The land is permanently protected by a conservation easement donated to INHF by sisters Alice Smith and Elizabeth Barry and their nieces, Nancy Thompson and Cynthia Thompson. It is named in honor of Alice Faulkes, the grandmother and great-grandmother of the four women. Now part of the Marion parks system, Faulkes Heritage Woods is owned and managed by the City of Marion. Faulkes Heritage Woods is a 110 acre parcel of forested land. For decades the woods were owned by descendants of the Faulkes family. The Woodland was left undisturbed for decades, and there has been no domestic animal grazing, crop production, logging or other economic activity on the property for many years. The land consists of a series of steep ravines between ridges that slope to the north down to Indian Creek as well as a portion of the creek’s floodplain. South of the Creek the land rises and is cut by several north/south oriented ravines separating ridges with two east/west ridges. Some ravines converge creating “toe slopes.” The topography is complex and the elevation at the south boundary is approximately 886 feet above sea level, dropping to 735 feet at Indian Creek.