McCormick’s Creek trails to reopen after tornado damage
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Several trails at McCormick’s Creek State Park are set to reopen Friday. Multiple trails at the Owen County park were closed last year after an EF-3 tornado caused severe damage to trees and various structures over a 282-acre area.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that DNR staff have increased trail access from 3.6 mils to 7.1 miles since last fall with the help of Team Rubicon, a California-based not-for-profit that provides support after disasters.
The park will reopen hiking trails 2 and 3, as well as the Bridle Trail for hiking only on Friday.
“It is hard to imagine the scope of the damage that blocked these trails,” said Carl Lindell, central regional manager for Indiana State Parks. “Trees fell on top of each other, and sometimes crews were climbing 6-8 feet in the air to move along a trail’s hiking surface to work. Marking trees to cut and then clearing them has required well-trained and experienced sawyers working in difficult conditions.”
McCormick’s Creek State Park is located about 60 miles southwest of Indianapolis and encompasses nearly 2,000 acres of land.
Trails 1, 4, and 9 remain fully open, and Trail 8 is partially open, only being closed beyond Pine Bluff Shelter, where it leads to the campground, which was heavily damaged by the tornado.
The DNR said trails 5, 6, 7 and 10 remain closed until crews clear them and trail structures are repaired. You can learn more about the recovery effort by clicking here.