The Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the management, maintenance, building, and completion of the Cumberland Trail (CT), a Tennessee State Scenic Trail. The CTC was formed in early 1997 by dedicated members of Tennessee Trails Association. Our mission is:
The mission of the Cumberland Trail Conference is to build, maintain, provide activities on and promote the Cumberland Trail, a scenic trail along the Cumberland Plateau between Chattanooga and Cumberland Gap, in order to help preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Tennessee, conserve natural resources, provide educational and recreational opportunities and connect local communities.
The CTC is organized under
Tennessee Trails Association (TTA), a
non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the promotion, maintenance, and construction of
trails in Tennessee. The TTA/CTC organizes volunteer efforts and provides activities that work toward the Cumberland Trail's completion.
Our efforts are supported by a broad community network of
individuals, clubs, and communities along the CT corridor and
throughout Tennessee. The TTA/CTC organizes and provides activities
that work towards the completion of the CT. This includes
trail maintenance and building outings, trail-building training
sessions, and periodic hikes on the CT. We sponsor the annual
spring Big Dig trailbuilding program and a number of spring and
fall backpack outings and trail building workdays. We also sponsor the
spring CT BreakAway program, an alternative spring break program
giving university students the opportunity to give back to their
communities.
The TTA/CTC publishes a bi-annual electronic newsletter,
providing a much needed information outlet for CT news,
notes, and activities, and about progress and needs on the trail.
We also provide online and more detailed hard-copy trail maps
on open trail segments, a brochure on the CT, and general
information at our office in Crossville, TN.
The TTA/CTC, as a volunteer organization, accomplishes all its
activities through the assistance of individuals such as you.
If you are interested in pursuing volunteerism on the CT, we are
looking for help in many areas. Of particular need are Trail
Stewards - individuals or an organization within a local
community that demonstrate a vested interest in the trail and
strong community leadership. A Trail Steward works closely
with the TTA/CTC on an adopted section of trail in the pursuit of an
integrated community trail. For further information, send us an
e-mail.
In eight years, TTA/CTC has leveraged a volunteer grassroots effort into
the creation of the Cumberland Trail, a 300-plus mile Linear State Park
and State Scenic Trail. Our leadership role has seen to the
revitalization and construction of 165-plus miles of trail corridor
using over 100,000 hours of volunteer effort. Our Spring Breakaway
program has provided conservation education and hands-on experience
to hundreds of university students throughout America, our future
conservation leaders.
As a greenway, the Cumberland Trail will pass through 11 Tennessee counties and numerous communities on the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. Located in an economically challenged region; the Cumberland Trail will provide both recreation and viable renewable economic opportunities to the communities of the Cumberland Plateau. The Cumberland Trail will bring watershed and viewshed protection, greenway corridors, and wildlife conservation to this rich ecological region.
The Cumberland Trail Conference is a member of the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition, an exciting group of hiking organizations who are joining together to create a 5,000-mile network of hiking trails in the southeast. This coalition is an offshoot of the Southern Appalachians Initiative, a joint project of the American Hiking Society and the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.
The Cumberland Trail is the heart of the 1,000-mile Western Appalachian Alternative to the AT, a long distance trail from Birmingham, Alabama to Virginia paralleling the AT with connector trails along the way. Within Tennessee, additional secondary trails and multi-use rail-trails will create a master greenway that, when complete, will offer 413 miles of trail to the recreational user.
Today the TTA/CTC provides the leadership for the creation of the CT, whose heart and soul are the communities, landowners, and volunteers working to provide a quiet respite for the people of Tennessee, while preserving the natural heritage and character of Tennessee for their children.
Through December 31, 2004, $3.5 million had been expended to acquire trail corridor and construct trail. $2.5 million of this was donated by our generous private sector partners, with $1.6 million of that raised by TTA/CTC's Pathways Campaigns to purchase the gorges in the southern segments. Tennessee's TDEC has contributed $0.8 million since 1998 to provide a portion of staffing and administration needs. Approximately $0.2 million of Federal RTP and matching State funds have been expended on trailbuilding materials, equipment, and programs.
In addition, over 110,000 volunteer hours and over 900,000 miles driven by volunteers to trail building programs have been donated by hikers and community volunteers toward construction of the trail. Also not included is the value of the over 35 miles of new trail corridor that Bowater is donating in 2005.
TTA/CTC’s trailbuilding activities are financed through the giving of
grants, foundations, individuals, clubs, and communities
thoughout Tennessee. We are a non-profit volunteer organization.
If you are interested in assisting the CTC’s endeavors, basic
annual giving to the TTA/CTC is $25.00. Please send contributions to:
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