Northeast Tennessee Trail Relocation Complete

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club and the USDA Forest Service Announce Accessible Portion of Appalachian Trail in Northeast Tennessee

ASHEVILLE, NC (December 11, 2006) – The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) across the Osborne farm is in Northeast Tennessee now resides again where it had been decades ago.  This historic route of the A.T. offers panoramic views of Shady Valley, Tennessee, and beyond to Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia.   This relocation features a half-mile-long wheelchair-accessible route to those vistas from the summit of the farm for visitors of all abilities to enjoy.

In the early 1970s the trail was located away from the ridge on to federal land to avoid purchasing private property.  It remained there until the acquisition of the Osborne property by the US Forest Service and the ATC. 

“This is one of those places that is easy to get to from most major cities in the area: Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol.  It’s one that I imagine people are going to be coming up to often for the scenic views and a picnic,” said Morgan Sommerville, regional director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Asheville. 

Sommerville added that although most of the A.T. is not and can not be made accessible, this pilot project represents the successful integration of the new USDA Forest Service trail-accessibility guidelines with the simple, primitive traditional character of the A.T. providing almost everyone an opportunity to experience the Appalachian Trail.  This A.T. section is built to a standard to permit use of wheel chairs and passes through gently rolling pasture land, past picturesque old farm buildings, to the summit of the ridge.  It is one of three scenic sections of the A.T. recently designed and built to accommodate persons with disabilities. 

About one-half of the Osborne property is open grassland, and the other half is hardwood forest.  Also on the property is a rare cranberry bog, one of the southernmost such bogs in the Appalachians.

“In order to preserve the unique open spaces of the farm we have hay-cutting and grazing permits planned for the farm, and we will be working with the Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy to manage the cranberry bog,” said Cherokee National Forest Watauga District Ranger Candace Wyman.  “And, while we have removed some structures from the site, such as the old residence and several outbuildings, there is a post-Civil War cabin that we have preserved and have plans to restore.” 

The management of the Appalachian Trail requires partnerships and collaborations to achieve land acquisition, land management, and trail maintenance.  Among the collaborative efforts that made this project possible were contributions from the following corporations and organizations: Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Benwood Foundation, Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy, and the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation through the Neuland Glisson State Park Connections Award. 

Sommerville went on to say that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy land-trust program still is seeking a total of $80,935 to offset its contributions from its reserves to the purchase of this property, and other contributions to support this effort are welcome. 

“We want to bring awareness of this highly scenic relocated and accessible portion of trail to members of the community and to highlight and recognize the number of partners and donors who made the relocation possible,” said Joe DeLoach, Appalachian Trail Committee chair of the Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club, the local ATC affiliate responsible for day-to-day management of about 130 miles of the A.T., including this relocated portion. 

HOW TO GET THERE: Appalachian Trail trailhead parking area at Tenn. 91, located on Tenn. 91 between Elizabethton and Shady Valley, about four miles south of  Shady Valley.