Cumberland Trail State Park now almost 300 miles with acquisition in Rhea County

Contributed photo by Alan Cressler / Piney River in Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park is shown in Rhea County, Tenn., where 358 acres of newly-acquired land known as Piney River Bluffs now extends the trail continuously through 11 Tennessee counties. Contributed photo by Alan Cressler / Piney River in Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park is shown in Rhea County, Tenn., where 358 acres of newly-acquired land known as Piney River Bluffs now extends the trail continuously through 11 Tennessee counties.

By Ben Benton February 11, 2022 4 min read

One of the most unique trails on the Cumberland Plateau will now continuously span 11 Tennessee counties with a 358-acre acquisition near Spring City, Tennessee, leading to what will become almost 300 miles of unbroken path.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation – in support of TennGreen Land Conservancy and the Open Space Institute – announced Wednesday the recent acquisition in Rhea County known as Piney River Bluffs to expand protected lands in Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park.

Piney River Bluffs is less than 2 miles from Spring City and is a high-priority acquisition for the linear state park, completing the protection of an 11-mile trail section through Piney River Gorge, among the most remote experiences on the Cumberland Trail, Environment and Conservation spokesperson Kim Schofinski said in a news release.

A new map should be available in the spring showing the trail’s path through – from south to north – Marion, Hamilton, Sequatchie, Rhea, Bledsoe, Cumberland, Morgan, Anderson, Scott, Campbell and Claiborne counties.