The Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, commonly known as the Cumberland Trail, is a Tennessee hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

and Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. The trail travels through 11 Tennessee counties and two time zones.

History

The Cumberland Trail became Tennessee's 53rd

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

in 1998 and the state's only linear park. The park is named for

Justin P. Wilson Justin Potter Wilson (born January 4, 1945) is an American lawyer and Republican politician who was the 34th Comptroller of the Treasury of Tennessee. He has been Tennessee deputy governor, a federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals ...

in honor of his work to help make the vision of the Cumberland Trail a reality. Wilson served as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in 1996 and deputy governor for policy for former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist. he is Comptroller of the State of Tennessee, an attorney, longtime

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and conservation activist.

The Trail

When completed, the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park is to contain a core corridor of trail stretching from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to Signal Point Chattanooga. The Cumberland Trail is designed for hikers by hikers as a sustainable single file back country hiking trail, through more remote areas of the astern Edge of the Cumberland Plateau An alternative to the relatively crowded Appalachian Trail. it gives hikers access to areas preserved for their natural or scenic beauty, providing a wilderness experience rare in the eastern US. The rugged trail follows numerous sparsely populated ridge lines where the trail designers have strategically routed the trail to spectacular overlooks. The trail dips into gorges where hikers can find waterfalls and swimming holes. It is designed and built to minimize the potential environmental impact on sensitive wildlife habitat, unique aquatic or terrestrial habitats, or endangered and threatened species.

Route

Still a work-in-progress, as of November 2016, 210 mi (340 km) of trail are ready for hiking and over 300 mi (483 km) of trails are planned. Segments include: the Cumberland Mountain segment above La Follette and Jacksboro and in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park; the Smoky Mountain segment in Campbell County; the

Frozen Head Frozen Head is a mountain in Morgan County, Tennessee. It is the second highest peak in the Crab Orchard Mountains The Crab Orchard Mountains are a rugged, detached range of the southern Cumberland Mountains. They are situated in East Tennes ...

segment in Morgan County; the Obed Wild and Scenic River segment in the

Obed Wild and Scenic River Obed River is a stream draining a part of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. It, and particularly its tributaries, are important streams for whitewater enthusiasts. The Obed River rises in Cumberland County, Tennessee, just south of Crossvi ...

and

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area Catoosa Wildlife Management Area is a large game-management area on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in Morgan, Cumberland and Fentress counties in Tennessee in the United States. It comprises 96,000 acres (332 km2) of wild land administered by t ...

; the Grassy Cove segment on Black and Brady mountains in Cumberland County; the Rock Creek, Possum Creek, Soddy Creek, and North Chickamauga segments in Hamilton County; and the Tennessee River Gorge segment in Prentice Cooper State Forest.

Management

Cumberland Trail State Park offices are located in Caryville, Pikeville. Volunteers from all over the US and several volunteer hiking organizations are also working under direction of the Tennessee State Parks in building new sections of the trail. A number of private organizations support the Cumberland Trail financially and with volunteer efforts. The list of supporters is long. Wild Trails, the Chattanooga nonprofit that directs money to building and maintaining wilderness path projects through the region; Break Away: the Alternative Break Connection; Lyndhurst Foundation; Anne Potter Wilson Foundation; the Cumberland Trails Conference (CTC); and the Friends of the Cumberland Trail are most active in the private sector funding, trail development, and on-the-ground construction of the Cumberland Trail. A number of other individuals and volunteer organizations are also assisting in bringing the vision of the Cumberland Trail closer to completion. Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee Trails Association sponsor volunteer trail building programs several times a year to build new sections of trail. The biggest of these programs is the BreakAway program. BreakAway program is an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program managed by the Cumberland Trails Conference that allows college students to engage in volunteer services such as trail building during their spring and fall college breaks. A big portion of the 235,000 hours donated to date to construct and maintain the trail have been BreakAway students.

Head of Sequatchie

The head of the Sequatchie River is located in the park near Pikeville. The park's main office and visitor center are also located at the Head of Sequatchie. In addition, this area contains Devilstep Hollow Cave.

References

External links

Official Tennessee State Park SiteCumberland Trail ConferenceFriends of the Cumberland TrailBreakAway: the Alternative Break ConnectionCTC website
{{Protected areas of Tennessee Hiking trails in Tennessee Great Eastern Trail Long-distance trails in the United States Protected areas of Hamilton County, Tennessee Protected areas of Campbell County, Tennessee Protected areas of Morgan County, Tennessee Protected areas of Cumberland County, Tennessee Protected areas of Marion County, Tennessee