The Nov. 12 windstorm packed an especially wicked punch at Wallowa Lake State Park, which was beaten up so badly that it will likely be closed to the public until Christmas Day.

According to park manager Todd Honeywell, approximately 30 trees were toppled in the park by the wind, which gusted as high as 122 mph. A number of park structures were hit by falling trees and limbs, but he said the damage was relatively minor.

Foresters/arborists Andy Smorgor and Nikolai Barca-Hall of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department are at the park this week assessing hazardous trees, some of which are leaning or hanging up on other trees, and others weakened by the storm.

“It’s just too dangerous for people to be driving or walking around up here right now,” Honeywell said about the temporary closure. The marina and day use area, as well as the overnight camping sections, are closed to the public. Honeywell noted that while the park department has put out a release identifying Dec. 26 as the official re-opening date, “We hope to have it open again by Christmas Day.”

After the foresters take stock of the downed and broken trees, the 216-acre park will put out a contract to remove downed, leaning and damaged trees. Lumber from the trees – a mix of pine and fir with some spruce – will help pay for part of the damage, Honeywell said.

The park manager said it’s hard for park department employees on the west side of the state to be very sympathetic about Wallowa Lake’s tree casualty. “They get a couple hundred down in windstorms on the coast,” he said.

“We got fairly lucky with structures at the park, though a couple were dinged on the roof,” Honeywell said, adding that the park was also lucky there were no off-season guests when the windstorm struck.

Damaged slightly in the storm were the park’s office, the D Loop rest room and the fish-cleaning station, as well as the fence at the south end of the park. Another casualty was a car owned by park employee Shawn Dutcher, which was crushed while parked outside the office during the worst of the storm. Power lines were also down throughout the park.

Honeywell said he and his wife were inside the manager’s residence as the wind was blowing. He admitted to being “anxious” while hearing trees fall all around them, and said that later in the day, when the electrical power went out, they left to stay with friends. “We chickened out,” he said.

Honeywell said the storm was “kind of weird,” describing it as “like a river of wind came through the park.”

Last Wednesday, Honeywell and park team leader Wes Jones evaluated damage in the park’s newest acquisition, the Marr property just north of Joseph. A few trees were blown down, Honeywell said, and state foresters were planning to view the property before they return to Salem, time permitting.

The parks department took over ownership of the Marr property last fall and will develop a management plan for its future use by the public, Honeywell said.

Contact reporter Elane Dickenson at 426-4567, or by email at edickenson@wallowa.com.