Gull Lake recreation area reopens 10 months after devastating storm

The Gull Lake Dam and Recreation Area is open to the public again this week for the first time since a summer storm swept through the Brainerd Lakes area 10 months ago.

The storm brought 100 mph winds and caused millions of dollars in damages to the shores of Gull Lake last July.

Resorts began to reopen a few days after the storm, but the recreation area stayed closed for almost one year.

Ranger Brian Turner said his park caught some of the storm's worst winds. Even now, he has a hard time putting the destruction into words.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the old childhood game pickup sticks. That's kind of what it looked like," he said. "It was kind of heartbreaking to tell you the truth."

Turner manages the 87-acre recreation area for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He estimates more than 2,000 trees lay in jumbled piles across campsites and trails by the time winds died down.

The storm left a swath of damage across the area, garnering $1 million in state disaster aid. Fallen trees blocked roads. Stands at the Brainerd Speedway were in pieces, and the Gull Lake recreation area was forever changed.

A few dozen people were camping the night of the storm. Turner said they all made it to the shower facilities for shelter. But when the storm passed, the camp looked so different, they couldn't even find their sites.

"Really, it would only be about 100 yards from the showers to their campsites, and they couldn't even locate their campers," Turner said.

It took prison work crews from a handful of local county jails and thousands of volunteer hours to make the place usable again.

This week the campsites, the beach and Gull Lake boat access were reopened. The Corps is taking campsite reservations.

Turner said the storm left a permanent mark. Many trees are missing, so campsites are more visible and the trails are a bit wider.

But, he said, there's still plenty of natural beauty.