Experience Tennessee hiking and backpacking at its best! The Cumberland Trail (CT), a Tennessee State Scenic Hiking Trail, became Tennessee's 53rd state park in 1998.

The Tennessee hiking and backpacking trail is also Tennessee's first linear park, following a line of high ridges and deep gorges along or near the rugged eastern escarpment of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. The Cumberland Trail is the basis for a large network of greenways that will crisscross the Cumberland Plateau north and south, east and west. It's now more than just a vision with approximately 125 miles of open trail currently beckoning the hiker to the Cumberland Plateau. A further 178 plus miles of trail are in the detailed planning stage, with 75 miles of that currently designed and flagged, and 10 miles of that in active tread construction. For more information on the Cumberland Trail, go to http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/.

Related Activities: camping

Address: Signal Mountain, TN.

Distance from Outdoor Chattanooga HQ: 5 miles

Map(s) and directions:           
The southern terminus of the trail is at the paved Signal Point parking lot. See the Cumberland Trail website, http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/, for up-to-date information on the status of completed and under-construction trailhead parking facilities.

Location: Signal and Suck Creek mountains near the southern tip of the Cumberland range. Follow U.S. 127 to the town of Signal Mountain and follow the directional signs to Signal Point National Park parking area. Note that the National Park Service recently closed the Signal Point parking area to overnight parking. The trail starts about halfway between the parking area and the Tennessee River Gorge Overlook.

Activity type: moderate to expert

Dates/Hours: open year round

TRAIL LENGTH
160 miles of the 303 mile trail are within 75 miles of Chattanooga, with 71 miles open for hiking and 23 miles under active construction.

DIFFICULTY
We would recommend this trail to the moderate to expert backpacker or hiker.

OVERNIGHT CAMPING
Overnight camping is allowed.

SPECIAL FEATURES
The Cumberland Trail, especially the area close to Soddy-Daisy, is well-known for the gorge overlooks that afford great wildlife viewing. Eagles are often seen in the gorges. Backcountry Campsites are located along the trail.

ACCESS ISSUES
The southern terminus of the trail is at the paved Signal Point parking lot. See the Cumberland Trail website, http://www.cumberlandtrail.org/, for up-to-date information on the status of completed and under-construction trailhead parking facilities.