Pioneer Trail

Cumberland Mountain State Park is located near Crossville atop Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau – a segment of the great upland which extends from western New York to central Alabama. It is said to be the largest timbered plateau in America.  The park spans about 1,720 acres and is centered around man-made Byrd Lake which was created the 1930s.  The state park was built in the 1930s as part of the New Deal’s Cumberland Homesteads Project by the Civilian Conservation Corps and WPA which constructed the Crab Orchard stone dam (the largest masonry project the CCC ever built), picnic shelters, cabins, trails, and other features of the park.  Cumberland Mountain State Park was deeded to the State of Tennessee in 1938.

There are ~14 miles of trails at the park, including the Pioneer Trail, Cumberland Plateau Trail, Byrd Creek Trail, and a 6‑mile overnight loop.  This hike on the Pioneer Trail starts at the boat house on Byrd Lake and circles the shoreline. There is both a 2 and 3 mile route – and a suspension bridge gives you the option to cut a mile off the hike and traverse a wide stream that fills the lake.  There is at least one interesting cave on the hike, and the hemlocks that surround the suspension bridge and views of the lake make this an enjoyable hike that is suitable for all ages.  Cumberland Mountain State Park is open daily from 7 AM–10 PM year-round.