Forest Service reopens hiking trail hit by June windstorm

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service has reopened a popular southern Indiana hiking trail, two months after a storm left parts of it blocked by trees.

The Peninsula Trail was closed after the June 17 storm swept the Hoosier National Forest's Charles C. Deam Wilderness, toppling trees onto a quarter-mile (0.4 kilometer) of the trail.

But The Herald-Times reports the trail reopened Aug. 10 after U.S. Forest Service staff from the Hoosier National Forest and Illinois' Shawnee National Forest finished clearing the downed trees. People using the trail still are advised to use caution.

The scenic Peninsula Trail is located on a peninsula that juts into Lake Monroe. It's used only by backpackers, day hikers and horse riders because wheeled or mechanized vehicles are prohibited in the wilderness areas.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com