McCormick's Creek State Park open and rebuilding following March tornado

Workers at McCormick’s Creek State Park are still picking up the pieces from a tornado in March that knocked down thousands of trees, killing two people and extensively damaging the campground, but most of the recreational areas remain open for visitors.

During a spate of storms March 31, An EF3 tornado touched down on the western edge of the park's campground and tore a four-mile path travelling east from the White River to North Texas Ridge Road. The National Weather Service said wind speeds reached up to 138 MPH.

The heaviest damage was focused on the campground, which is still closed.

Kody Kirby, an interpretive naturalist at the park, said there is no opening date yet and reservations have been cancelled through October.

The big question, he said, is what the future of the campground looks like — something officials are still in the process of finalizing.

“The recovery of the park will involve almost every facet of Indiana DNR,” Kirby said. “Folks from across the state park system, almost every kind of specialization and skill set, are being brought in to help with this.”

Some trails, saddle barn remain open

Crews are working to clear the park's hiking trails, though damage from the tornado still blocks some of the system.

There are about four miles of hiking trails open now. That includes trails 1, 4 and 9, which are fully open, while trails 3 and 8 are partially open.

“The trails back by the campground and the damage to the woods was extensive, so we are talking about thousands of trees down,” Kirby said. “It’s going to take quite a long time to clear some of those areas, especially with safety considerations.”

If anyone’s favorite trail remains closed, Kirby said now is a great time to discover some of the park’s other trails.

The park’s saddle barn is fully operational with three miles of horse trails open to anyone wishing to take a ride. The barn offers guided rides, pony rides and hayrides every day between March and November.

Amenities fully operational

The Canyon Inn, the park’s 76-room facility, is open and taking reservations. Open year round, the inn offers a gift shop and full-service restaurant.

The park also was scheduled to open its Olympic-sized pool and wading pool for Memorial Day weekend.

Aftermath: Parts of McCormick's Creek State Park to reopen Friday, but campground will remain closed

The nature center is open, operating each day from 9:30-5 p.m. This is where visitors can learn about the wildlife within the park, natural history and speak with interpretive naturalists like Kirby.

The park also has resumed its programming, including creature features and turtle feeding. A full calendar of events can be found on the park’s website.

“We’re not going to have the typical spring wildflowers, but we will have programming Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday focusing on the flora of the park,” Kirby said.

Regrowing a forest

While the unaffected portions of the park are thriving in the spring weather, the area hit by the tornado lost its canopy. It will take years to grow back into the forest it once was, but Kirby said the understory is really starting to green up.

The park is working with DNR’s forestry service on how to best manage the regrowth, Kirby said, and he thinks there’s a lot of opportunity for natural regeneration.

The good news is there is a natural seed bank in the soils under the damaged portions of the park, Kirby said. However, the loss of the tree canopy can see the understory plants capitalize on that and grow more rapidly.

It’s a bit of a two-sided coin, Kirby said.

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On one hand, wildlife loves the disturbance. There could definitely be an increase in the biodiversity of the woods as the forest regenerations, he said. Species that are not very shade tolerant also are getting this opportunity to grow.

At the same time, the park must make a really conscious effort to stay on top of any invasive species, because they can take advantage of that same opportunity.

“We’ll be making sure we have native forest and native plants coming in and no invasive species,” Kirby said.

For now, the park’s priority is removing all of the downed trees and getting those trails and other places back open.

“The biggest thing is just reminding folks that the park is open,” Kirby said.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: McCormick's Creek State Park open despite lingering tornado damage