"That's food source and habitat for those birds," Park Manager Steve Ward told NewsChannel 5 in March, talking about the trees the January ice storm brought down across Radnor Lake State Park. He went on to say small mammals and other wildlife would have new places to live and raise young, and that the park would "probably see some population increases with some of our wildlife."
That quote explains this fall at Radnor. The storm left the Oak Hill park with gaps in the canopy and wood on the ground. The plans that have come out since then don't aim to put it back the way it was. Storm-damaged areas, plus a new parcel at the park's busiest road corner, are slated to become open native grassland. If you walk the Lake Trail on a Saturday in late October, you're walking through the start of that change.
Five Weeks of Chainsaws, Then a Different Park
The storm started after dark on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, according to the Friends of Radnor Lake Spring 2026 newsletter. Ward told NewsChannel 5 that crews had been running chainsaws since Jan. 24. His first assessment, made two or three days in, pointed to a May 1 reopening. The park reopened at 1 p.m. on March 2, nearly 60 days early, WKRN reported.
Volunteers made up most of that difference. Friends of Radnor Lake put the count at about 300 people, raking and hauling alongside park staff. Rangers took the dangerous work. On the Ganier Ridge Trail, NewsChannel 5 watched Ranger Paul Schauer cut a third tree so he could safely bring down two others that were tangled together and leaning over the path.
"The Lake Trail was covered with trees. Plenty of long days, no shortage of work." Park Ranger Brandon Jarratt, speaking to NewsChannel 5
Reopening meant clearing paths. It didn't mean rebuilding the woods. The same NewsChannel 5 report said the park still "looks different than it did before the storm," and that management planned to pause recovery work through the spring so visitors could use the trails. This fall is the first autumn with that changed park in place.
Where the Open Ground Is Heading
The next step was announced in the same breath. Park officials said they planned to turn some of the hardest-hit areas into native grasslands during the summer of 2026, which could help struggling monarch butterfly populations. The Friends' spring newsletter repeated the plan: "later this summer some of the hardest-hit areas will be transformed into native grasslands—strengthening habitat and supporting pollinators like Monarch butterflies." Neither source named locations, and no public update has said whether that conversion is finished. So treat it as the park's stated intention for the storm ground, not as something you can point to yet.
What gives the plan weight is that Radnor has done this before. The Friends' Native Grasslands Initiative lists 154 acres already converted, planted with a custom seed mix that includes common milkweed. Established sites include Hall Farm and the area around the Walter Criley Visitor Center. If you've parked at the West lot and walked past the visitor center, you've already seen what this approach looks like after a few seasons. The storm handed the park more ground for an approach it was already following.
The wildlife side is moving too. In July, Friends of Radnor Lake reported that an eaglet "has successfully fledged and taken its first flight about Radnor Lake." That post didn't connect the fledging to the storm, and neither does this one. Still, a year of downed timber, planned grasslands and a new young eagle over the lake points the same direction Ward described in March.
The Corner at Franklin Road and Old Hickory Boulevard
The same plan for open ground covers the next acreage Radnor is adding. In January 2025, Friends of Radnor Lake bought the first three acres of a parcel at the corner of Franklin Road and Old Hickory Boulevard from Mantra LLC. The State of Tennessee bought the remaining six acres in October 2025 with a $3 million federal Land and Water Conservation Fund matching grant. Friends committed $1 million to the nine-acre project, plus matching land valued at $3 million.
According to the Friends' land acquisition page, the plan for that corner is to remove the two existing houses, clear invasive plants and plant the acreage under the Native Grasslands Initiative. It is also slated to become the site of a 100-car parking area and the trailhead for the Harris Ridge Trail Project. The spring newsletter says cleanup and demolition "will take place throughout 2026." It describes Harris Ridge as a trail of 2.5 to 3.5 miles with a one-acre parking area. The Harris Ridge project page describes a trail of more than 3.5 miles, with volunteer projects planned for 2026 and 2027.
No construction or opening date has been published for the trailhead or the trail. What's on record is a direction. The corner most Oak Hill drivers pass every week is set to become grassland, a parking lot and a new way into the park.
People have already walked the parcel. On March 21, 21 visitors toured the nine-acre tract with Friends of Radnor Lake and spent about 45 minutes picking up trash there and along Old Hickory Boulevard and Franklin Road.
A Fall Saturday, in Order
The one fixed event on Radnor's calendar this fall is the Saturday open house at the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center. Tennessee State Parks lists it for Oct. 24, Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's self-guided, open to all ages and needs no registration. That makes it a good way to plan a morning walk:
- Pick your lot by distance. The aviary is a 3/4-mile hike from the East Parking Area and a 1 1/4-mile hike from the West Parking Area at the Walter Criley Visitor Center. The West lot route goes past the established grassland near the visitor center.
- Arrive early. Tennessee State Parks says parking is allowed only in marked spaces and fills quickly in pleasant weather. A clear late-October Saturday is exactly that kind of day.
- Walk the 550-foot boardwalk. The aviary's resident birds of prey are a Great Horned Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Black Vulture, a Golden Eagle and two mature bald eagles. None of them can be released, because each has an injury that would keep it from surviving in the wild. They now serve as raptor ambassadors.
- Go inside. The Education Center has captive snakes and turtles, plus the Ann Tarbell Library's digital collection for anyone who wants to read up on a particular subject.
- Hope for a glove program. These aren't scheduled during open house hours. Rangers run them when visitor numbers allow, and they aren't held below 30 degrees or above 90 degrees, to limit stress on the birds. The mid-November dates are the ones a cold snap would most likely affect.
If you walk a dog, there's one rule to know. Pets aren't allowed on the aviary boardwalk because of the stress on the captive birds, but they are allowed inside the Education Center.
On the trails, the Tennessee State Parks hiking page currently lists the Access Trail, Ganier Ridge, Lake Trail, Otter Creek Road, South Cove Trail and South Lake Trail as open. That page carries no timestamp, so check it the morning you go.
The Practical Details
A few logistics apply to every visit this season:
- Hours. Tennessee State Parks lists Radnor as open from 6 a.m. until 20 minutes after sunset, year-round, including holidays. The park is day-use only. With earlier sunsets, that closing time comes sooner each week.
- EV charging. The park's official page has a notice that its EV chargers are temporarily unavailable pending upgrades, so plan to charge before you arrive.
- Visitor center hours. The state park page and the City of Oak Hill's Radnor page list different hours for the Walter Criley Visitor Center. If you need it open, check with the park directly before you count on it.
At Chrisley & Co., we follow Oak Hill closely, from the Saturday aviary hours to the plans for the Harris Ridge corner. If you live near Radnor and want to talk through what these changes mean for your street and your home, schedule a private consultation with our team.