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| Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park | |
|---|---|
 A typical trail sign on the New River segment | |
  Location in Tennessee | |
| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Pikeville,Tennessee (main office) |
| Coordinates | 36°18′42″N84°12′49″W / 36.3116°N 84.2135°W /36.3116; -84.2135 |
| Operated by | TDEC |
| Website | Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park |
TheJustin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, commonly known as theCumberland Trail, is a Tennessee hiking trail and state park following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of theCumberland Plateau andCumberland Mountains inTennessee. The trail begins atCumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends atChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area just outsideChattanooga, Tennessee. The trail travels through 11 Tennesseecounties and two time zones.
The Cumberland Trail became Tennessee's 53rdstate park in 1998 and the state's only linear park. The park is named forJustin P. Wilson in honor of his work to help make the vision of the Cumberland Trail a reality. Wilson served as the commissioner of theTennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in 1996 and deputy governor for policy for formerTennessee GovernorDon Sundquist. As of 2014[update] he isComptroller of the State of Tennessee, an attorney, longtimeRepublican Party and conservation activist.
When completed, the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park is to contain a core corridor of trail stretching fromCumberland 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 [Eastern Edge of the Cumberland Plateau]. An alternative to the relatively crowdedAppalachian 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.
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 aboveLa Follette andJacksboro and in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park; the Smoky Mountain segment inCampbell County; theFrozen Head segment inMorgan County; the Obed Wild and Scenic River segment in theObed Wild and Scenic River andCatoosa Wildlife Management Area; theGrassy Cove segment on Black and Brady mountains inCumberland County; the Rock Creek, Possum Creek, Soddy Creek, and North Chickamauga segments inHamilton County; and the Tennessee River Gorge segment in Prentice Cooper State Forest.
Cumberland Trail State Park offices are located inCaryville and nearPikeville. 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.
The head of theSequatchie River is located in the park near Pikeville. The park's main office and visitor center are also located at the Head of Sequatchie.[1] In addition, this area containsDevilstep Hollow Cave.
