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

Crews continue working to clear a tangle of fallen tress and debris in Indiana’s oldest state park after a deadly tornado touched down late Friday in Owen County.

As the cleanup continues, hiking trails and the Canyon Inn at the 1,961-acre park are set to reopen Friday. Carl Lindell, a DNR parks regional manager, said the campgrounds, however, will remain closed at least through April — and it could be significantly longer.

The tornado touched down on the western edge of the McCormick’s Creek State Park campground, leaving two dead as it 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.

Downed trees blocked roads and damaged campers and small structures in the campground, prompting the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to close the park.

“We know how important (the park) is and how much people love this park and we appreciate people’s patience at this time,” Lindell said. “People that use this park, they feel like it’s theirs and it’s a great sense of ownership they have, and I know they’re as devastated as we are.”

A majority of the park is unaffected, and evidence of the storm isn't readily visible except in areas near the campground.

But in that area, budding trees, still standing, leaned at wild angles among tall bare trunks of other trees that were snapped and twisted apart. The stubs stood like spears above overturned picnic tables, fallen road signs and battered outhouse buildings. Nearly all the destruction was concentrated at the campgrounds, the DNR said.

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Clearing the debris

On Tuesday afternoon, the sounds of heavy equipment, chainsaws and shouting replaced what is normally a serene hardwood soundscape surrounding the camping area. Crews with loaders and 18-wheelers stacked the fallen timber and hauled it off to another part of the park.

There are about 200 campsites split into two sections of the camping area, Lindell said, but only about 38 were occupied when the tornado formed.

Two of those campers, Brett Kincaid, 53, and his wife, Wendy Kincaid, 47, died at their campsite in the park Friday night. Their bodies were found Saturday in their camper, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Family friends have opened a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral costs to assist the couple’s family.

The park had been in the process of opening up from the winter and officials had not yet opened the campgrounds to full capacity.

Lt. Angela Goldman, another DNR official, was at the park Tuesday helping other employees and escorted a Herald Times photographer and IndyStar reporter through the wreckage. Goldman said she couldn’t imagine what it would have sounded like to the campers. It was a blessing this didn’t happen in July, she said, or when the grounds had been filled with people camping.

Every angle is a new vista of destruction, she said. The campgrounds won’t look the same, at least in this lifetime, but Goldman said she’s hopeful that once the debris is cleared, the blooming wildflowers and new growth will be just as beautiful.

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Lindell, who has been with DNR parks for 30 years, said he’s never seen anything quite like the damage unleashed by the tornado. He called the storm a once-in-a-career event.

Moving forward

DNR’s Parks Department and the Forestry Division have now cleared many of the blocked roadways, but there is still work ahead.

“We are still in the phase of clearing campsites so that people can get their camping equipment, RVs and stuff out of the campground,” Lindell said. “Once that’s complete, I think we’ll take a step back and look at the situation in total and develop a plan.”

DNR will issue refunds to those who had reservations at the campgrounds or at the park’s inn through the end of April, though that may also be extended until the park can offer camping again, Lindell said.

The hope is that most of the hiking trails will reopen this weekend, though it remains uncertain where that access will be.

Some people have called in asking if the park is accepting volunteers, but Lindell said the work now is dangerous and best handled by DNR staff. Every state park has an account set up to take monetary donations, he said, so folks wishing to donate are welcome to do so.

To keep updated with the park’s reopening progress, follow McCormick’s Creek State Park on Facebook, head to its website or call the park office.

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: DNR crews clean up McCormick Creek State Park following deadly tornado