Adventure #5
What a crazy week. With the election and rising COVID cases I just needed a mental break and to relieve some stress. Also with 70 degree weather in the first week of November I had no excuses and I decided to get off my butt and go to one of my favorite local parks. Lakeview Park has something for everyone: hiking, fishing, bicycling, walking, dog park, sledding, playground for the kids, pavilions, and large open areas.
Lakeview View Park is located in Waterloo, Illinois. It is right off Lakeview Drive. There are actually two entrances into the park. We usually go into the first one by the Veterans Memorial.
The Veterans Memorial is a great place to start the visit, there is a statue in honor or Monroe County Veterans. It's a nice reminder of the sacrifice that people made so I can enjoy days like today. It's very humbling and makes me thankful.
The main trail is 2.25 miles paved blacktop. It is a looping trail and can be started by the Veterans Memorial (this is where we usually start) or by the playground. The park is made up of three lakes. For this writing I will be numbering the lakes 1,2, and 3. Lake 1 will be the one closest to the Veterans Memorial, Lake 3 will be the closest to the playground.
Lake 1 has plenty of areas to fish from the bank. They are bass, crappie and bluegill. The paved trail runs fairly close to the lake. There are benches to sit on and there are also a few BBQ pits in case you want to make a day of it.
The trail continues onto Lake 2. This Lake has a dock and is a great place to fish. The day I went I saw many people fishing. Most people I asked had caught some bluegill and one guy said a bass. For me personally this is the best fishing lake. Lea and I like to fish out of our kayaks which allows us to get to the other side of the lake near the trees. We have had some good luck in this area catching largemouth bass.
The trail then winds on to Lake 3. Both Lake 2 and 3 have large grass damns. They are well maintained and look like great places to go sledding in the winter. As a kid I had a lake behind my house and sledding down the damn hill is still a fond memory. These areas reminded me of that. There are signs posted warning of the dangers of sledding but does not say it's prohibited.
Lake 3 is the largest of the lakes. The trial runs along the damn and past the dog park. The dog park is a great place to bring your four legged friends. It is split into 3 fenced areas. There is a fenced area for small dogs (under 25 pounds), an area for large dogs, and an area for shy dogs. Every time I go there the place is busy and my dogs love going and running around.
After passing Lake 3 we come to the steepest part on the trial. It winds uphill towards the playground and restrooms. There is also another trial here called Turtle Creek Trail. This is another great trial that is more challenging. I am going to be writing a separate blog on this one because there is so much that can be done in this area as well.
Once you get to the top of the hill and past Turtle Creek Trail, the main paved trail ends. To get to continuation of the paved trail one must walk through the parking lot towards the playground. The playground is modern with a set of swings. One unique aspect of the playground is a zipline like feature that our kids love. There are also two pavilions up here that can be rented.
They have electricity and barbeque pits which makes it a great place for a party. There is a sign that gives more information on how to rent. There are also a set of bathrooms in this area as well. This part of the trial also has a great view point overlooking Lake 3. It is a great place to stop and take in the scenery. There is also a large open field that we have flown kites in before. It is a really nice area of the park.
As I said before, the trial ends when entering the playground parking lot. It is easy to find where it picks up, just head past the playground and the blacktop trails resumes. Follow that down the hill towards Lake 3. It will eventually loop back into the portion of the trial that will take you back to your starting point.
There is so much to do in this park. It has something for every person in the family. The trial is well maintained and it is a pretty easy hike. There are some steep parts but for the most part the trial is flat. There are great views and the 3 lakes make it one of the more unique parks in the area. We like to park at the Veteran’s Memorial, take the trail towards the playground and then let them play for a while before looping back towards the car. There are plenty of places to fish, plenty of places to launch a kayak if you are into that, and plenty of things to keep the whole family busy.
Want to check it out?
Address: 586-798, Co Hwy 7, Waterloo, IL 62298
Who should go? Great for kids, dogs, adults, grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles. Fun for the whole family!
Tips: There are 3 different lakes to fish and kayak at. Jon boats for fishing are also allowed but no swimming is allowed in the lake. There is a boat ramp to launch your boat or kayak. The only boat motors that may be used are trolling motors powered by electric current. Signs are posted on daily limits. Make sure you have your fishing license.
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