It began in March 1965 with the Clinch and Powell River Valley Association.  The members of this group proposed a trail from Cumberland Gap following the ridge of the Cumberland Mountain south to Cove Lake State Park.  From this park, the trail was to continue south along Walden Ridge to Oliver Springs.  A connector trail to Oak Ridge was also planned.  This route was to be named the Cumberland Trail (CT).  After some initial support, the association’s enthusiasm faded and by July 1965 the concept evaporated as dew in the summer heat.

In 1968 the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) was organized by a small group of people interested in creating a state wide system of hiking trails.  This group envisioned a Cumberland Trail stretching from Cumberland Gap southwest to the Tennessee River Gorge.  The CT was to serve as a pilot project to prove the feasibility of a state wide system of scenic trails.  In 1971, the TTA assisted with the passage of Tennessee’s Trails System Act.  This legislation designated the Cumberland Trail and six other proposed trails as state scenic trails. State funds for the Trail Systems Act were very limited; however a small, state trail system staff was funded.  This staff working with the TTA began obtaining agreements with land owners for the various trail corridors.  This coordination allowed construction of the CT to begin.  In 1976, the TTA became a non-profit organization to provide a legal entity for agreements with land owners and to maintain continuity of Tennessee’s scenic trails program.  From 1972-1979, the TTA and the State of Tennessee continued their cooperative efforts and several miles of the Cumberland Trail were constructed, primarily with volunteer labor.

In an effort to restore and generate new interest in the Cumberland Trail, the TTA hosted the first BreakAway program.  In March of 1996, eight students from East Tennessee State University spent a week restoring the Eagle Bluff section in the CT’s Cumberland Mountain segment.  This initial event revived volunteer support of the Cumberland Trail project.  Through the 1990s most new public funds for trails were in the form of grants to be matched by the grantees, creating public/private partnerships.  With the renewed interest in the trail project, the TTA sought funding to continue the volunteer effort.  To help establish a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (tdEC) and other funding partners, the TTA created the Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC) in 1997.  This organization’s mission is the completion of the Cumberland Trail utilizing volunteer labor.  With BreakAway as the backbone of the volunteer effort, the CTC obtained a formal funding agreement with tdEC for the development of the Cumberland Trail.  In June 1998, the project gained additional support when Governor Sundquist announced the creation of the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park which was “to be the backbone of Tennessee’s expanding system of greenways and trails.”

Since 1996, the Cumberland Trail project has progressed forward.  Strengthened by the tdEC partnership, CTC trail building programs and other initiatives have been the catalyst for the development of the trail.  Today’s Cumberland Trail is a collection of separated trail segments lined up along the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau, with project supporters diligently working to connect the dots.  Once completed, the trail will stretch 290-miles from Signal Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee, north to Cumberland Gap, creating one of the last unbroken greenways in Tennessee.  Additional plans are to include the Cumberland Trail as part of the Great Eastern Trail.  As of winter 2008, 170 miles of the trail are maintained for hiking and other outdoor pursuits.  With the trail as the central feature, the Cumberland Trail State Park is Tennessee’s 53rd state park.  The park has a manager, rangers, and other staff positions along with office facilities.

Historical information from Hiking Tennessee Trails by Evan Means