Parks and campgrounds open after ice storm damage; be careful on forest roads and trails

If you’re heading to northern Michigan or planning to spend time in state parks or forests in that area over the Fourth of July weekend, be aware of lingering hazards and damage from the March 28-30 ice storm.

All state parks and boating access sites that closed following the storm have reopened, and all state forest campgrounds are expected to be open by this weekend. Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff has spent thousands of hours since the storm clearing fallen trees and branches and repairing damage. Initially, the damage from the storm caused the DNR to temporarily close 19 state parks, 54 state forest campgrounds and 162 boating access sites.

Although roughly 60 percent of DNR-managed trails in the region remain temporarily closed, the North Western State Trail, North Central State Trail and North Eastern State Trail have been cleared and are open. Please respect closure signs on the motorized and nonmotorized trails that still need to be cleared.

“We’ve made a strong effort to get people safely back into the outdoors,” said Chris Stark, one of the leaders of the DNR’s ice storm response team. “People will still notice some effects of the storm and will need to be careful to stay on open trails to avoid any accidents. In the forest, broken branches remain underfoot and above our heads. Leaning trees and broken branches still hanging in trees can fall without warning.”

A changed landscape

Parts of the forest that suffered heavy damage look different now. Travelers may notice this along I-75 while driving north of Gaylord. Some conifer trees are broken, with trunks that look like toothpicks sticking out of the ground. Treetops of deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves seasonally) may look sparse if the trees lost ice-laden branches during the storm. Over 1,200 miles of state forest roads remain impassable.

You can find a map and dashboard with the latest status (open, partially open, temporarily closed) of state-managed facilities, trails and forest roads; an interactive map; safety updates; and more on the DNR's ice storm response page. There’s also a story map detailing the impact of the ice storm and the response and recovery efforts.

Next steps

DNR staff continues to assess the damage and conduct cleanup throughout the area and is also working to implement longer-term strategies, such as conducting timber salvage operations and replanting trees.

The ice storm affected much of northern Michigan beginning March 28, leaving trees coated with up to an inch of ice. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a 12-county disaster area encompassing Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle counties.

The storm profoundly affected nearly 1 million acres of DNR-managed lands, 3,400 miles of state forest roads and 3,290 miles of state-managed trails, including 1,700 miles of state-designated ORV trails and routes.

Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows. Photos courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

• North Branch ORV Trail: A portion of the North Branch ORV Trail (near Gaylord), which remains temporarily closed.
• SFC post-cleanup: One of Michigan's state forest campgrounds that has been cleared of debris and recently reopened within the 12-county area affected by the March 2025 ice storm.