Skip to main content


Appalachian Regional Commission

          
CLOSE
        Appalachian Region
              Data Overview of the Appalachian Region
                      Appalachian States
                      Appalachian Counties Served by ARC
                      County Economic Status and Distressed Areas in Appalachia
                      Tribal Communities in the Appalachian Region
                      Congressional Districts in Appalachia
                      Local Development Districts in Appalachia
      Investment Priorities
              Building Businesses
                      Workforce Ecosystems
                              Addressing Substance Use Disorder
                      Community Infrastructure
                              Transportation in Appalachia
                      Regional Culture and Tourism
                      Community Leaders and Capacity
                              READY Appalachia
                      Investments in Action
      Grants and Opportunities
              About ARC Grants
                              Match Requirements for ARC Grants
                      Funding Opportunities
                              Area Development Program
                                      ARISE InitiativeOpen
                                      INSPIRE Initiative
                                      POWER Initiative
                                      WORC Initiative
                      Capacity Building Opportunities
                              Academies and Institutes
                                      READY Appalachia
                      Additional Opportunities
                              Access to Capital Program
                                      Appalachian Regional Energy Hub InitiativeOpen
                                      J-1 Visa Waiver Program
                                      Local Access Road Program
                      Contract Opportunities
                      Applicant Resources
                      Grantee Resources
                      Approved ARC Projects
      Research and Data
              Research Reports
                      Evaluations
                      Maps
                      Data Report Tool
                      Fact Sheets and Infographics
      Academies and Institutes
              Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative
                      Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy
                      Appalachian Leadership Institute
                      Appalachian STEM Academy
      About ARC
              History and Work
                      Structure and Leadership
                              ARC Offices & Staff
                                      State Partners
                                      Local Development Districts
                                      Office of Inspector General
                      Budget, Performance, and Policy
                      Newsroom
                      Careers at ARC
                      Internships at ARC
      SearchSearch
    Search

              Events
      Newsroom
      Get ARC Updates
      Inspector GeneralFacebook
      Twitter
      Youtube
      LinkedIn You are here
    HomeInvestments in ActionAlabama’s Lookout Mountain Adventures: A Gateway to Southern Appalachia

      	
	
Alabama’s Lookout Mountain Adventures: A Gateway to Southern Appalachia
	
			
	
				
	
	
	Nested in the Northeast corner of Alabama, Lookout Mountain is a perfect example of a gateway asset, containing four parks with countless hiking and biking trails, cliff faces, and waterfalls. The twelve-person team from Cherokee, Alabama attended the 2016 Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative (AGCI) workshop in Rogersville, Alabama knowing that they could leverage the mountain’s parks in order to transform the three-county region of Cherokee, DeKalb, and Etowah counties into a premiere destination for outdoor recreation.

The team’s initial goal was a lofty one: to build a 17-mile biking trail system to unify the region’s four parks through one continuous trail. However, after listening to workshop speakers discuss financial planning and state and federal support, the team realized they needed to reassess their strategy to develop a more pragmatic, achievable goal. Following an asset-mapping exercise, the team recognized that Lookout Mountain could be a tourist destination even without a unifying trail. This painted a clear way forward for the region’s stagnating post-extraction economy. From here, the team created a mission statement for their project, which they still use today: *“Three counties partnering to link their natural resources to create a multi-purpose seeded trail to increase visitation, resulting in increases to local economy.”*

During the workshop, the team began to work on an action plan for a project that would eventually be called Alabama’s Lookout Mountain Adventures, a full-color 3-panel pamphlet which details the various outdoor recreation opportunities in the region and cleverly encourages tourists to visit all of the parks. The pamphlet also places an emphasis on the region’s Appalachian heritage, an identity which the team had not even considered prior to the workshop. With the help of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Appalachian Regional Commission, 20,000 pamphlets were produced as part of its initial run and nearly all of them have been distributed.

It opened our eyes to be able to share that with the world–that we’re part of the Appalachian Region.THERESA HULGAN, TEAM MEMBER



Visitor and Economic Growth

In the six years following the workshop and the pamphlet’s production, tourism’s value to the region has become increasingly clear. As the team’s pamphlet laid the groundwork for continued collaboration between local economies, visitation exploded in the Lookout Mountain parks. In 2016, Little River Canyon National Preserve saw under 250,000 visitors, which expanded to over 850,000 visitors in 2021. As a result of this increase in tourism, all four parks have been able to expand their capacity with new amenities, including hiking and biking trails and campsites.

Since the workshop, two of the counties (Etowah and Cherokee) have seen their ARC economic designations move from at-risk to transitional, signaling the possibility that their workshop-inspired move into a more tourism-driven economy has had significant positive impacts on the region. In 2023, the group plans to continue their Appalachian-focused regional marketing, collaborating even six years later to help develop their community’s image as it transforms into an increasingly popular tourist destination.





	



More on Gateway Communities    
    
    Investment in Action      
      Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative: Providing Tools for Tourism
																				
																	

  Investment in Action      
      Tennessee’s South Cumberland Tourism Partnership: A Regional Allegiance
																				
																	

  Investment in Action      
      Murray County, GA: A New Brand Appalachian Regional Commission

          About ARC Grants
      Grants and Opportunities
      Newsroom
      Contract Opportunities
      Contact ARC
      Careers

  Get ARC News and Updates
    
    
                
  Sign Up Here
    Web and Privacy Policy