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A tornado ripped through Sleeping Giant State Park on May 15, 2018 leaving the hiking trails covered in trees and branches.

Since then, the park has remained closed to the public as workers continue to clean up the debris. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been working to restore the park by this spring.

The local community has come together to assist with the clean up effort through the Sleeping Giant Park Association

“They actually got trained with chainsaws,” Sleeping Giant State Park Supervisor, Jill Scheibenpflug said. “They’re willing to go in on hot days, they’re willing to go in on cold days to cut. And they’re actually pretty much through as far as getting some of the trails clear.”

Although, they are making progress, the weather has caused some issues. Scheibenpflug explained that they planted seeds for new grass, but she does not think it germinated due to the cold and rain.

Hiking the Sleeping Giant is an activity that many Quinnipiac students and Hamden residents participate in when the weather is nice. They have missed out on doing that for the last eight months.

“I miss the different avenues spent with my friends,” said Quinnipiac junior, Alex Nauta. “And I also used to run up and down the Sleeping Giant as well. There’s a lot I used to do there, so I’m just missing out on a few things.”

Scheibenpflug said that they hope to have Sleeping Giant open to the public by Memorial Day weekend at the latest.

Stay with Q30 News as we continue to learn about the progress of Sleeping Giant come this spring.