Photo: Scott A. Miller · CC BY-SA 3.0Storm Lake has 104 acres of parks, 9.1 for every 1,000 residents
86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Storm Lake, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #115 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Storm Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Storm Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Storm Lake is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #115 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
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 AWAYSIS Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Frank Starr Park
All 14 parks & preserves
36 conserved acres
1% of Storm Lake’s land. Who manages Storm Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Lake State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 29 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
3 places to go in Storm Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
4.9 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.
5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Storm Lake
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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 31 | 44 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 61 | 45 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Storm Lake →
Storm Lake and its neighbors
Storm Lake has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Lake | 1% | 0.2 | 9 | 86% | C+ |
| Lakeside | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Storm Lake
Where can I hike in Storm Lake?
The longest trail networks: AWAYSIS Park, 0.4 miles; Frank Starr Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Storm Lake is conserved land?
1% 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 Storm Lake’s trails?
AWAYSIS Park and Sunrise Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Storm Lake?
4.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Storm Lake?
4,542 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Storm Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 129 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Storm Lake have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #115 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 Storm Lake 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 →