News

Each year Cumberland Trails Conference host Alternative Spring Break for college students interested in volunteering their time to help build new trail. This year ASB will be March 6th-12th and trail building efforts will be on new sections of the Piney River Segment....

Gary L. Grametbauer, age 75, of Kingston, TN, died January 29, 2020, after a short illness. Gary was born in Canton, Ohio, and was a graduate of Hoover High School and the University of Akron. He was employed for more than 30 years at the...

The state of Tennessee continues to move forward with the acquisition of over 6,600 acres of land in Cumberland County adjacent to Interstate 40. The purchase effort, largely through TennGreen requires over $6 million before the tract can be secured.  

Two key links in the 300 mile Cumberland Trail are very close to completion. Both sections are roughly 6 miles and link available parking areas.  When open, Devil’s Breakfast Table Section creates an uninterrupted 20 mile hike from Nemo Bridge in Morgan County to Peavine Road in...

Crab Orchard Mountain Segment

A critical gap in the Cumberland Trail may be eliminated in the near future. Efforts are underway to acquire a  4,500 acre tract of land on the north side of the Crab Orchard Gap in Cumberland County known as the Lone Star property.  Acquisition will allow the trail to be routed up and over a mountain ridge and emerge close to Ozone Falls SNA. Contact TennGreen at https://www.tenngreen.org/ to learn how to donate for this acquisition. When the Ozone Falls to Black Mountain Section opens in 2020 an eight mile, dangerous road walk will be eliminated and replaced with roughly four miles of trail and a thousand foot road walk on a lightly traveled side road.

[av_one_full first min_height='' vertical_alignment='' space='' row_boxshadow='' row_boxshadow_color='' row_boxshadow_width='10' custom_margin='' margin='0px' mobile_breaking='' border='' border_color='' radius='0px' padding='0px' column_boxshadow='' column_boxshadow_color='' column_boxshadow_width='10' background='bg_color' background_color='' background_gradient_color1='' background_gradient_color2='' background_gradient_direction='vertical' src='' background_position='top left' background_repeat='no-repeat' highlight='' highlight_size='' animation='' link='' linktarget='' link_hover='' title_attr='' alt_attr='' mobile_display='' id='' custom_class='' aria_label='' av_uid='av-osjda'] [av_textblock size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' font_color='' color='' id='' custom_class='' av_uid='av-5z4e1a' admin_preview_bg=''] Tony Hook, former CTC Trail Manager, passed away on Sunday, September 29, 2019 after a long bout with cancer. He was 56. Condolences can be left online at www.jenningsandayers.com.
[caption id="attachment_2258" align="aligncenter" width="477"]Tony Hook, former CTC Trail Manager, waits while tools are collected at the end of ASB 2010. (Photo Richie) Tony Hook, former CTC Trail Manager, waits while tools are collected at the end of ASB 2010. (Photo Richie)[/caption]

Tony started with the CTC in the mid 1990’s as a volunteer. Later he gave up his career  manufacturing process engineering to become full time Trail Manager for the CTC, a position he held until 2014.

Known for his passion and focus on making the Cumberland Trail a premiere hiking experience, Tony brought his organizing talents to bear, expanding the yearly BreakAway program and successfully bring numerous construction grants to the Cumberland Trail. 

CTC Co-Founder Sam Powell Dies

Sam H. Powell, 86, of Signal Mountain, devoted his whole life to building hiking trails, conservation and improvement of the environment, died on February 8, 2019. He was married to the late Emilie Ervin Powell for 61 years. A native of Tarpon Springs, Fla., he was the son of the late William Marshall Powell and Margaret Harvey Bomar Powell.