In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Johnson County leaders and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Team at Communities Unlimited (CU) are charting a new path — literally. Their goal: transform a long-lost rail corridor into a modern greenway that could boost tourism, preserve history, and connect Mountain City, Tennessee, to Damascus, Virginia.
The project centers on the historic Laurel Railroad, a 15-mile narrow-gauge line that once hauled timber, manganese, and passengers between the two communities.
Using original 1916 railroad blueprints, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, and digital terrain models, CU’s GIS Project Manager Trent Neathery is mapping the route with precision. LiDAR uses laser pulses to create detailed 3D maps, revealing hidden features like old railbeds beneath vegetation.
“We’re taking all this historic data from 1916 and trying to locate where the rail bed once was,” Neathery said. “The idea is to use the location to build a greenway trail that will allow pedestrians and cyclists to go from Damascus, Virginia, to Mountain City, Tennessee. There’s a lot of history here that we can preserve in addition to enhancing this trail town economy.”
The Johnson County Trails Association (JCTA) sees it as a key link in a future 100-mile interconnected trail system that would tie together the Laurel Creek Trail, the Iron Mountain Trail, and other recreational routes with the well-known Damascus network — Trail Town USA.
“This is our premier trail,” said Phillip Burtt-Henderson, JCTA’s Executive Director. “We want to connect it all the way into Ralph Stout Park in Mountain City. Whether you’re pushing a stroller, rollerblading, biking, or riding an e-bike, you could follow the old railway, enjoy the history and the beauty, and make that trip straight into Damascus.”
Flooding and debris wiped out large portions of local trails, halting tourism. But JCTA sees the destruction as a chance to rebuild stronger. The group recently won two grants from the East Tennessee Foundation and the Johnson County Community Fund to support this effort and CU’s GIS work.
“Our greatest resource here is the nature, the beauty of what we have,” Burtt-Henderson said.
“This is the time where we can rebuild better.”
JCTA’s plan also aims to create economic ripple effects — outfitters, lodging, restaurants, and events driven by visitors exploring Laurel Creek, the Appalachian Trail, Iron Mountain Trail, and Gentry Creek Falls. A 2023 study estimated that drawing more visitors from Damascus could generate $11.4 million in spending on lodging, food, fuel, and recreation, per an article written by the Mountain City Tomahawk.
The Laurel Greenway project strategically blends CU’s Community Sustainability work in Mountain City, launched by Director Russ Garner, with the GIS Team’s mapping. CU’s Entrepreneurship Team, led by Senior Management Consultant Rhett Douglas, is helping local nonprofit GrowWell refine its business plan and partnerships. Meanwhile, CU’s Community Infrastructure Team has been working with Mountain City’s utility systems on water audits, operator training, and strategies to reduce water loss.
For Burtt-Henderson, this work is personal. After 24 years as a Marine Corps officer, he and his family chose Johnson County for its beauty.
“I fell in love with it before I even knew where it connected,” he said.
Now, Burtt-Henderson has a chance to protect those trails, expand them, and make them accessible for everyone in Johnson County — creating an economic impact.
“We are not an industrial powerhouse here,” Burtt-Henderson said. “What we are is a beautiful preserved portion of old-growth Appalachia, and we want people to come here, enjoy it, talk about it, go home, and then come visit again the next season — whether they want to hike, fish, bike, explore, camp, horseback ride — you can do that all right here in Johnson County.”
The mapping is underway. Construction has started. Partnerships are in place. And the Laurel Greenway is on its way to becoming a symbol of recovery and growth.
That’s proof history and progress can run side by side on the same path.
For more information about this project, visit the Laurel Railroad to Greenway Story Map on ArcGIS.
