Tennessee now owns 130 acres of Rhea County mountain land that will preserve the viewshed of the Cumberland Trail near Laurel-Snow State Natural Area, according to the Land Trust for Tennessee.
The Crane-Tumlin property, approximately 35 miles northeast of Chattanooga, is home to undisturbed sandstone glades and pristine forests that attract hikers and rock climbers alike, a news release from the trust states.
The 2,259-acre Laurel-Snow State Natural Area is a few miles north of Dayton, Tennessee, on the Walden’s Ridge portion of the Cumberland Plateau.
Rhea County Executive Jim Vincent said the County Commission passed a resolution about a month ago to adopt the county’s portion of the Cumberland Trail into its tourism program and offer some financial help in anticipation of a completed trail spanning most of the state, north to south, along Walden’s Ridge.