McCormick’s Creek State Park, which was severely damaged by last Friday’s tornado is reopening to limited use Friday.

The park’s Canyon Inn will be fully open and will offer an Easter buffet on Sunday, with reservations highly recommended for those who plan to attend. 

Many park trails remain closed, and the campground will be closed through October 1. Individuals with campground reservations are being contacted directly and given full refunds, and no new reservations for camping at McCormick’s Creek will be accepted for arrival dates through the end of 2023.

Volunteers who would like to help with park cleanup can sign up at https://bit.ly/mccormicks-creek-volunteer, and they will be contacted by Indiana State Parks staff in the coming weeks.

When guests arrive, they will receive a handout of facilities and services available, with updates also available online at on.in.gov/mccormickscreeksp to check ahead of a visit.

Park interpretive naturalists will be roving in key park locations to answer questions throughout the weekend. 

Here's what you need to know if you plan to visit:

Guests are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from walking or driving into areas where barricades and/or “closed” signs are in place. These barriers and signs are in place for everyone's safety.

CANYON INN: Canyon Inn is OPEN for dining and overnight lodging beginning April 7. The April 9 Easter Buffet will continue as planned.

SADDLE BARN: The saddle barn is open on its regular schedule and trail rides are available.

CAMPGROUNDS: The campgrounds, which bore the brunt of the tornado damage, will remain closed through October 1, 2023. Those with existing camping reservations between now and then are being contacted regarding automatic cancelations and refunds. No new camping reservations are being accepted for ANY arrival dates in 2023 until further notice.

CABINS AND SHELTERS: There is damage to some of the family cabins and other rentable facilities, and guests with reservations are being contacted regarding moves to other cabins or facilities on site until repairs can be made.

GROUP CAMPS: Some structures sustained damage. These are being assessed and groups who use them for overnight activities will be contacted.

PROGRAMS: Watch for interpretive naturalists at key park locations this weekend; they will be roving and available to answer questions about the park. The Wildflower Weekend activities scheduled for April 7-9 in the park are POSTPONED until later in the spring. The Owen County SWCD/MyPath wildflower programs will be held as scheduled in Spencer. School and group programs are being rescheduled as needed. Regular public programming will tentatively resume later this month.

NATURE CENTER: Crews continue to work on restoring power, and the center may not be open this weekend. The center’s reptiles are being cared for temporarily in other state park locations.

ROADS AND TRAILS: Our DNR crews continue to clear roads and will be working on trails as well, but some may remain closed for an extended period of time. You are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from driving or walking into areas with barriers and closure signs. Gate staff and the inn front desk will have details available on which trails are open and which are closed.

FIRETOWER: The fire tower was not damaged in the storm and is open.

MCCORMICK'S CREEK FALLS: The falls are viewable from Trail 3, but trail structures are damaged and closed.

WOLF CAVE: Wolf Cave and all trails accessing Wolf Cave Nature Preserve are closed.

NATURE PRESERVES: McCormick’s Cove Nature Preserve and Wolf Cave Nature Preserve are being inspected for natural resources impacts and responses.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: See links below. Our first priorities are to safely clear roads and create space to manage debris, to work with campers whose vehicles and RVs were damaged, and to assess, clear and reopen park facilities and trails where possible.

The physical and natural resources of this park are forever changed by this natural disturbance, and we all have many good memories of what “was.” But nature is resilient and so are we as humans, and we will now look to the future for what “will be.” The physical clean-up and thoughtful planning for the future of facilities and natural resources will take time, and our DNR team is ready and already working to tackle the challenges and opportunities.

Links:

--Sign up to volunteer when we are ready for assistance: https://bit.ly/mccormicks-creek-volunteer. If you get a loading page, click on the three dots in the right bottom corner and open in system browser. If that doesn't work, email dnrwebmaster@dnr.IN.gov. Sorry for the trouble!

--Learn about ways to donate to restoration efforts: on.IN.gov/instateparksdonate

--Friends of McCormick's Creek: friendsmccormickscreek.org

--Follow McCormick's Creek on Facebook: McCormick's Creek State Park

--See photos of the tornado's impact on the park: Indiana Department of Natural Resources