The North Country National Scenic Trail, generally known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching over from Middlebury in central

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Lake Sakakawea State Park Lake Sakakawea State Park is a public recreation area occupying on the southern shore of Lake Sakakawea in Mercer County, North Dakota. The state park is located adjacent to the Garrison Dam, north of the community of Pick City. History The ...

in central

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

in the United States; connecting both the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail with the Lewis and Clark Trail. Passing through the eight states of

, New York,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

, it is the longest of the eleven

National Scenic Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

s authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

. As of early 2019, 3,129 miles (5,036 km) of the trail is in place. The NCT is administered by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, managed by federal, state, and local agencies, and built and maintained primarily by the volunteers of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) and its partners. The 28 chapters of the NCTA, its 3,200+ members and each affiliate organization have assumed responsibility for trail construction and maintenance of a specific section of the NCT.

History

The NCT was created on March 5, 1980, by an amendment to the National Trails System Act. When the Trail was established in 1980, portions of it were designed to follow the already existing

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

(New York), Baker (Pennsylvania), and Buckeye (Ohio) Trails. Their sponsoring organizations became affiliates of the North Country Trail Association and agreed to maintain those portions of their trails to be used by the North Country National Scenic Trail. The Northwestern Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association joined later to help create a link between the Buckeye Trail in Ohio and newly constructed trail in Michigan; the Superior Hiking Trail Association, Border Route Trail Association, and the Kekekabic Trail Club joined when it was proposed that the North Country National Scenic Trail route through Minnesota be changed to include an already-completed section of the Superior Hiking Trail along

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

, and the Kekekabic and

Border Route Trail The Border Route Trail is a long hiking trail that crosses the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the far northeast corner of Minnesota (Arrowhead) and follows the international border between Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. It conn ...

s along the Canada–US border in Minnesota's

Arrowhead Region The Arrowhead Region is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, so called because of its pointed shape. The predominantly rural region encompasses of land area and includes Carlton, Cook, Lake and Saint Louis counties. ...

. Over the years, legislation was introduced in both the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

which would authorize the Arrowhead re-route as well as later an extension to the trail's eastern terminus, connecting it with the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

in Vermont. On March 12, 2019, the North Country Trail reroute and extension was signed into law as part of the omnibus

John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 is an omnibus lands act that protected public lands and modified management provisions. The bill designated more than of wilderness area, expanded several national par ...

Route

The trail begins in Vermont and proceeds to the western end of New York state. It cuts across northwestern Pennsylvania, then follows a southwesterly course through the hilly region of southern Ohio until it nears Cincinnati when it runs north through western Ohio to the hills of SE Michigan. It continues from southeast Michigan through the western

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

, crosses the

Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; french: Détroit de Mackinac) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects ...

, and takes a northern route the length of the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. After crossing northern Wisconsin, it follows the

shore to the northeast corner of Minnesota before turning west through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and then southwest to the Chippewa National Forest in central northern Minnesota. The trail enters southeast North Dakota, and continues to its other terminus in the center of the state. The NCT connects more than 160 public land units, including parks, forests, scenic attractions, wildlife refuges, game areas, and historic sites. The list includes: *Ten National Forest areas (

in New York; Allegheny in Pennsylvania; Wayne in Ohio; Manistee,

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

, and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in Michigan; Chequamegon in Wisconsin; Superior and Chippewa in Minnesota; and Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota) Link-trail-Caz-NY

*Four areas of the National Park Service (Michigan's

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles (67 km) along the shore of Lake Superior and covers . The park has extensive views of the hilly sho ...

, Wisconsin's St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, New York's

Fort Stanwix National Monument Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction commenced on August 26, 1758, under the direction of British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The bastion fort was built ...

, and Ohio's

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio that commemorates three important historical figures— Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—and the ...

) Other federal facilities along the NCT include: *Two

National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...

s (Minnesota's Tamarac and North Dakota's

Audubon The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such org ...

), two National Fish Hatcheries (Garrison Dam and Valley City, both in North Dakota), and one Waterfowl Production Area (Minnesota's Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls) *Two

Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

projects (North Dakota's Garrison Diversion Unit's New Rockford and McCluskey Canals) *Seven Army Corps of Engineers impoundments (Lakes Sakakawea and Audubon,

Baldhill Dam Baldhill Dam is a dam in Barnes County, North Dakota, Barnes County, North Dakota, about 10 miles north-northwest of Valley City, North Dakota, Valley City in the eastern part of the state. The earthen and concrete dam was constructed in 1951 by ...

Lake Ashtabula Baldhill Dam is a dam in Barnes County, North Dakota, about 10 miles north-northwest of Valley City in the eastern part of the state. The earthen and concrete dam was constructed in 1951 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers with three t ...

, North Dakota, Tom Jenkins Dam and Burr Oak Lake, William H. Harsha Lake lso known as East Fork Lake Ohio, Tionesta Lake, the

Kinzua Dam The Kinzua Dam, on the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is located within the Allegheny National Forest. The dam is located east of Warren, Pennsy ...

, and

Allegheny Reservoir The Allegheny Reservoir (also known as Kinzua Lake and unofficially as Lake Perfidy) is a reservoir along the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and New York, USA. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Kinzua Dam along the river. Lake P ...

, Pennsylvania) *The NCT also shares a short stretch with the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail at Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery. The NCT also threads its way through 57 state parks and state historic areas, 47 state forests, 22 state game areas, seven state water conservation districts and at least ten county forests and parks. Several hundred miles of trail eventually will also cross private land thanks to owners who have granted easements across their property. The center point of the trail is located near the NCTA headquarters in

Lowell, Michigan Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,783 at the 2010 census. Lowell is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about east of the city of Grand Rapids. The city is mostly surrounded by ...

. Though the eastern terminus of the North Country Trail is only a few miles from

Long Trail The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiza ...

and the

, there is not yet a connecting trail to either of those trail systems. Efforts are under way to connect to the Appalachian Trail.

Major Intersections

Listed from west to east. Western terminus:

* at

Garrison Dam Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota, U.S. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947 to 1953, at over in length, the dam is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. The re ...

* at Brandon Gap in

Eastern terminus: Maine Junction,

Trail progress by state

North Dakota

Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery A garrison (from the French language, French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that c ...

* City of Riverdale, North Dakota * Audubon National Wildlife Refuge * Lonetree Wildlife Management Area * Lake Ashtabula, North Dakota *

Valley City, North Dakota Valley City is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Barnes County. The population was 6,575 during the 2020 census, making it the 12th largest city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874. Val ...

*Clausen Springs Recreation Area * Fort Ransom State Park *Sheyenne River State Forest *City of

Lisbon, North Dakota Lisbon is a city in and the county seat of Ransom County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,204 at the 2020 census. History Lisbon was founded in 1880 by Joseph L. Colton, who named the new city after Lisbon, New York, his wif ...

* Biesterfeldt National Historic Landmark * Sheyenne National Grasslands *City of

Abercrombie, North Dakota Abercrombie is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 244 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Abercrombie was founded in 1884. History Abercrombie was founded in 1884. ...

* Abercrombie State Historic Site

Minnesota

*There is a 10-mile loop within the City of

Fergus Falls Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The falls from which the city gets par ...

*There is a short segment within

Maplewood State Park Maplewood State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, near Pelican Rapids. The park preserves a pre-contact habitation site that was occupied in two different periods (650–900 CE and 1450–1650 CE) in a forest/prairie transition zo ...

, within Vergas, and within Frazee *There is a long, contiguous segment from just south of State Highway 34 all the way to State Highway 6 near Remer. This section passes through Hubbell Pond Wildlife Management Area,

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States. It lies in the glacial lake country of northwestern Minnesota in Becker County, northeast of Detroit Lakes. It was established in 1938 as a refuge breeding gr ...

, Becker County Forest, the White Earth State Forest, Clearwater County Forest,

Itasca State Park Itasca State Park (pronounced eye-ta-ska) is a state park of Minnesota, United States, and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park spans of northern Minnesota, and is located about north of Park Rapids, Minnesota and from Ba ...

, Hubbard County Forest, Paul Bunyan State Forest, and the

Chippewa National Forest Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota. There are local ranger district offices i ...

. * Superior Hiking Trail *

Kekekabic Trail The Kekekabic Trail, commonly referred to as "The Kek," is a hiking trail that runs about 39 miles from Snowbank Road near Ely, Minnesota to the western terminus on the Gunflint Trail in northwestern Cook County. It connects with the Border Route T ...

* Mesabi Trail - the Mesabi Trail will serve as a temporary connector route of the NCT in between Coleraine and Ely while the primitive, off-road trail is planned and built.

Ohio

* Wabash Cannonball Trail *

Buckeye Trail The Buckeye Trail is a hiking trail and long-distance trail that loops around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Road portions of the trail are gradually being relocated to separate trail. This trail p ...

New York

Finger Lakes Trail The Finger Lakes Trail consists of a network of trails in New York. The trail system is administered by thFinger Lakes Trail Conference(FLTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, composed primarily of volunteers. Description The FLT is primaril ...

Use

Existing and new sections of the NCT are generally limited to foot travel, including

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. Other ''non-motorized'' uses, such as

bicycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bike ...

and

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

are generally limited to areas specifically designed to withstand such use. About 10,000 people are involved with the NCT in one way or another, either through membership in the North Country Trail Association or membership in one of eight organizations affiliated with the NCTA: the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, the Buckeye Trail Association, the Superior Hiking Trail Association, the Kekekabic Trail Club, the Northwestern Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association, the Butler Outdoor Club, the Rachael Carson Trails Conservancy and the Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery.

Gallery

File:NCTSign.JPG, A trail post that includes the trail's official logo File:NCTBlueBlaze.JPG, Blue blazes, where allowed, mark the path of the North Country Trail File:North County National Scenic Trail Sign Copper Falls State Park August 2012.jpg, Sign in Wisconsin File:Baltimore River Michgian.jpg, Trail bridge crossing the

Baltimore River The Baltimore River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed February 3, 2012 river in Michigan. It originates in Ontonagon County and flows into the Middle Branch of the Ont ...

O Kun de Kun Falls O Kun de Kun Falls is a waterfall of the Baltimore River north of Bruce Crossing, in Ontonagon County, Michigan. The Falls There are two drops that make up O Kun de Kun Falls. The North Country Trail parallels both of the drops and allows acces ...

in Michigan File:NCT Blaze on Tree.jpg, A blue blaze marking the trail painted on a tree near

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

File:NCT PA kiosk1.jpg, Signpost in

Moraine State Park Moraine State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Brady, Clay, Franklin, Muddy Creek, and Worth townships in Butler County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park's main feature is its man-made lake, Lake Arthur, formed by impoundi ...

, Pennsylvania

References

External links

North Country Trail AssociationThe North Country Trail
on th
National Park Service's websiteJournals from the North Country TrailNorth Country Trail
Video produced by

Wisconsin Public Television PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...

{{Authority control National Scenic Trails of the United States Long-distance trails in the United States Hiking trails in New York (state) Hiking trails in Pennsylvania Hiking trails in Ohio Hiking trails in Michigan Hiking trails in Wisconsin Hiking trails in Minnesota Hiking trails in North Dakota Protected areas established in 1980 Allegheny National Forest