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What is the Cumberland Trails Conference?
The mission of the Cumberland Trails Conference is to provide paid and volunteer labor, equipment, supplies and vehicles to design and construct the Cumberland Trail under the auspices of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The continued development and construction of the Cumberland Trail is accomplished through a working relationship between the Cumberland Trails Conference (CTC), the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Park, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The CTC, private corporations, foundations, individuals, and others assist TDEC in raising funds for land acquisition, providing maintenance, and further developing the Cumberland Trail.
The Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail State Park operates a professional trail crew mostly in the north sections.
The Cumberland Trails Conference also maintains a professional trail crew that works twelve months a year. Additional labor comes from thousands of hours of volunteer service provided through the CTC, including through the CTC BreakAway, a college Alternative Spring Break program.
CTC is a non-profit 501-(c)(3) membership organization.
About the Cumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail is an ambitious hiking trail project under development in East Tennessee. This extensive trail is being constructed and maintained largely by volunteers from Tennessee and across the nation. Efforts are organized and managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
Building the Cumberland Trail is a grassroots effort, driven by communities along the trail, government agencies, hiking clubs and a broad network of individuals. This successful private/public partnership is a model often cited to demonstrate the power of volunteerism and public/private partnerships.
When completed, the Cumberland Trail (CT) will extend more than 300 miles from its northern terminus in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Kentucky to its southern terminus at the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park located on Signal Mountain just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee.
As of November 2019 over 210 miles of the trail are open for hiking. And work continues. Another 17 miles are complete but not open. These sections are waiting for bridges, final parking arrangements, signage or official opening dates.
Estimated completion date for all trail segments on currently owned state land is late 2021.
