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Tennessee Trail Association is a major supporter of CTC |
The Cumberland Trail is an ambitious hiking trail project under development in East Tennessee. When completed, the Cumberland Trail (CT) will extend 300 miles from its northern terminus in the Cumberland Gap National Park (KY) to its southern terminus at the Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park located on Signal Mountain just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. This scenic footpath follows a line of high ridges and deep gorges lying along or near the rugged, eastern edge of Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, offering a unique wilderness experience and many scenic views, waterfalls, landscapes, gorges, wildlife, and widely varying flora. As a remote, backcountry trail it will meander through eleven Tennessee counties primarily on public lands. These lands are managed by Tennessee’s Departments of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), and Forestry. The trail also passes through two national parks and a national scenic river area. In 1998, the trail was designated the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, Tennessee’s first linear state park. The CT is an official component of the Tennessee Recreational Trails System and a legislatively designated State Scenic Trail. Furthermore, the Cumberland Trail is a part of the Great Eastern Trail, which is under development and will extend from Alabama to New York when completed. The continued development and maintenance of the Cumberland Trail has been accomplished through a working relationship between the CTC and TDEC. The CTC, other nonprofits, private corporations, foundations, individuals, and others assist TDEC in raising funds for land acquisition, providing maintenance, and further developing the Cumberland Trail. This extensive trail is being constructed and maintained largely by volunteers from Tennessee and across the nation, organized and managed by the Cumberland Trail Conference. The Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC) is an affiliate of the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA), a non-profit 501-(c) (3) membership organization. The CTC’s mission is to design, construct, maintain, and raise funds in support of the Cumberland Trail. Building the Cumberland Trail is a grassroots effort, driven by the communities along the trail and a broad network of individuals from across the US. This very successful private/public partnership is a model often cited to demonstrate the power of volunteerism, and public/private partnerships.  Under the leadership and management of the CTC, 190 miles of the trail have been constructed and are maintained. These trail miles are divided into 15 different sections, addressable through this site. Please explore this website. Y our support is greatly needed and there are many ways to help. You can help by taking a hike on the Cumberland Trail, volunteering time for trail construction and maintenance, becoming a member of the CTC, or making a monetary contribution to the trail project.
Click on Map for a larger
and printable version
Be sure to support the
businesses that have supported the
Cumberland Trail Conference! For a list of businesses that have supported the Cumberland Trail Conference, CLICK HERE. To add your business to this list, become a Business Member of CTC by submitting a form HERE. |
Send email to
cumberlandtrail@rocketmail.com
