Lake Storey Park

Lake Storey is a 45 to 50-minute drive from the Quad Cities.  It is a 600-acre park offering camping, a water park, fishing, paddleboat rentals, picnic grounds, and hiking/biking trails.  In addition to the paved trails, there are now several miles of dirt trails throughout the park.

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Directions:

Lake Storey Park, 1572 Machen Dr, Galesburg, IL. 61401.  From the Quad Cities take I74 South to the US-34 West exit.  Then take the exit for US-150 West to Lake Storey.

Trail Info:

I’ve been running the bike path at Lake Storey for many years. The paved path is about 2.75 miles long or a 5.5-mile loop out and back with minimal elevation change.  I usually just run in the grass alongside the paved path because I prefer running on the soft ground rather than pavement.  So when I read an article in the galesburg.com/news that said the Ride and Run shop in Galesburg, had just created a five-mile loop of trails for mountain biking/trail running at Lake Storey, I couldn’t wait to try it out.  It did not disappoint! The dirt trails are marked with signs that lead you off of and occasionally cross over the paved bike path.

Whatever the season, Lake Storey is the picture of serenity.  Sun-dappled trails wind through the woods surrounding this glimmering, peaceful lake.

There are acres of neatly mowed areas throughout the park if you wanted to avoid the trails or just throw a frisbee after your run!

I was able to get a picture of some of the dirt tracks snaking through the woods earlier this Spring.

There are plenty of places to access the lake from the trails in case you need to cool your paws!  P-dog loves this 😎  Notice how clean and clear the water is?

Just look at this magnificent tree I found in the park!  It’s hard to tell from the picture because of all the trees in the background, but the giant branches reach out to the sides of this photo, where I marked it with arrows, nearly touching the ground!  I’m kind of obsessed with ancient old trees.  It amazes me how long they have been standing there, enduring wind storms, heavy snow, lightning, droughts.  Home to hundreds of generations of squirrels and birds over the years! 🐿️

lake storey trail tips

If you’re going to drive 45 minutes from the Quad Cities to go for a run here, you should make a day of it.  Lake Storey has so much to see and do!  Bring your swimsuit and cool off in the lake after your run!  Bring a picnic lunch, rent a paddle boat and tool around the lake or bring the fishing poles and do a little fishing!  Check out the City of Galesburg Parks and Recreation website for more info:  Lake Storey beach