Lake Storey Park
Park
396 acres4.8 mi of trail
Twisted SisterKessel RunLakeside ABooyah+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jimmy Thomas · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Galesburg
Galesburg has 644 acres of parks, 22 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Lake Storey Park (4.8 mi), Kiwanis Park (0.5 mi), Inbinder Park (0.5 mi). 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6.9 miles of mapped trail cross Galesburg, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #355 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
441 acres · of 17.8 sq mi of land
Trails
6.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
644 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.0 mi
0.9 mi lanes · 3.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Galesburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Galesburg is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #355 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, conserved land lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Galesburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (644 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home76% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 65%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 54%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Lake Storey Park, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 17 parks & preserves
Lake Storey Park396 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
DirectionsKiwanis Park51 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsInbinder Park16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsStandish Park Arboretum3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln Park43 acres
DirectionsOptimist Park20 acres
DirectionsJason Wessels Park17 acres
Lakeside Park14 acres
DirectionsCuster Park12 acres
DirectionsRotary Park11 acres
DirectionsKlapp Park6 acres
Cooke Park3 acres · City of Galesburg
DirectionsPeck Park3 acres
DirectionsIcehouse Park2 acres
DirectionsBateman Park1 acres
Rogers Park1 acres
Who protects it
441 conserved acres
4% of Galesburg’s land. Who manages Galesburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city426 ac
Private owners13 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Local Park · 439 acUnknown · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Storey Park Local Park | Town or city | 217 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Lincoln Park Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Hawthorne Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Jason Wessels Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Inbinder Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Lakeside Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Graham Park Local Park | Private owners | 13 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Custer Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Galesburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Galesburg
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Galesburg
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Public pools in Galesburg
Hawthorne PoolIn Optimist Park
DirectionsDog parks in Galesburg
Project Dog Park - Connie Nott Canine AreaIn Inbinder Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Galesburg
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Galesburg
Allison CampgroundIn Lake Storey Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Galesburg
Kiwanis Park Disc GolfIn Kiwanis Park · City of Galesburg
DirectionsLake Storey Disc Golf CourseIn Lake Storey Park · City of Galesburg
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Twisted Sister0.7 mi
Kessel Run0.6 mi
Lakeside A0.5 mi
Booyah0.4 mi
Schroll's Shred0.3 mi
Double Dip0.3 mi
Down & Out0.2 mi
Climb to Glory0.2 mi
Double Dip 20.2 mi
Lakeside B0.2 mi
3 more trails
Kessel Connector
0.1 miLakeside Intermission
0.1 miDrop It
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.1 mi
off-road bike paths
2.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
24Tennis
14Baseball
5Soccer
4Football
2Softball
2Basketball
1Equestrian
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Galesburg: April, August and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Galesburg →
Next door
Galesburg and its neighbors
Galesburg has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galesburg | 4% | 0.4 | 22 | 76% | B+ |
| Galesburg City Township | 4% | 0.4 | 22 | 76% | B+ |
| Knox Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 46% | D |
| East Galesburg | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Knoxville | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 62% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Galesburg
Where can I hike in Galesburg?
The longest trail networks: Lake Storey Park, 4.8 miles; Kiwanis Park, 0.5 miles; Inbinder Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Galesburg is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Illinois town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Galesburg’s trails?
Lake Storey Park and Kiwanis Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Galesburg?
6.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes, 3.1 of off-road paths and 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Galesburg?
877 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Galesburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 645 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Galesburg have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #355 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Galesburg neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →