The North Country: America's Backyard Trail

Available for an afternoon amble or a yearlong epic, the 4,800-mile North Country National Scenic Trail is within a day's drive of 40 percent of Americans. Starting west from the grasslands of west-central North Dakota, the longest National Scenic Trail wanders east through eight states over vastly varied terrain before eventually connecting with the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. Although the trail is a work in progress, with incomplete sections routed onto roads, 3,321 miles of footpath are complete. That's a distance greater than the Continental Divide Trail, the next longest National Scenic Trail. National Scenic Trails are, according to the National Park Service that administers them, "Intended to showcase our country's spectacular natural resources and beauty…connect communities, significant landmarks and public lands."

Although most North Country Trail (NCT) users are satisfied by day hikes, the trail is dotted with backpacking campsites and has been hiked fourteen times. Thru-hiker culture thrives in the United States, where thousands of long-distance hikers begin the Appalachian and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails each year. A commonality with NCT thru-hikers is seeking both solitude and connection to communities along the way. Minnesotan Luke Jordan was the 3rd person to thru-hike the NCT when he did so in 2013 as a recent college grad. He wanted to do something fun outdoors before settling into a job. He would hike the popular Pacific Crest Trail when he learned of the NCT. "This trip sounds awesome, and not many people have done it," he recalled. "I wanted to be alone with my thoughts." He had plenty of time for that—Jordan's hike lasted from March until October.

In 2022, Aaron Landon became the 13th person to thru-hike the NCT. Landon is from Rochester, Minnesota, but while hiking the trail through Ely, received a job offer and moved there after completing his hike. He turned 46 on trail and was sustained by the kindness of people in towns along the way. "I was shown what American communities are about," Landon said. "Going through towns is where you see the cultures—talking to people, seeing how these people are living. That became the goal. I really didn't care if I finished the trail, I just wanted to see how different communities in America will accept this stranger, and every one of these communities accepted me with open arms." Landon's hike lasted 252 days.

The western end of the NCT is in Lake Sakakawea State Park, North Dakota. Four hundred seventy-five miles of trail span North Dakota, consisting of about 280 miles of completed footpath and the rest routed onto roads. The state's longest stretch of continuous trail runs more than 100 miles through its central region. East of Abercrombie, the NCT crosses the Red River of the North and enters Minnesota.

Minnesota has 850 miles of meandering NCT. The state has two long sections of completed trail, two long gaps, and is three-quarters complete. The first 100 miles in the west are primarily on roads. After crossing the utter flatness and massive farms of the Red River Valley, a pleasant span of trail crosses Maplewood State Park. Here, the landscape transitions from historic prairie to rolling woodlands. Although bound to country roads, the route encounters three superlative roadside monuments to kitsch—in Rothsay, the world's largest prairie chicken; in Vergas, the world's largest loon; and in Frazee, the world's largest turkey. At Minnesota mile marker 106, just south of State Highway 34, 166 miles of uninterrupted hiking trail begin, offering the opportunity for a long backpacking trip on a lightly used trail. The NCT runs through Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, the White Earth Reservation, and into the old-growth forests of Itasca State Park, which contains the source of the Mississippi River. The unbroken hiking trail extends through Paul Bunyan State Forest and into the Chippewa National Forest, home to the state's oldest section of NCT.

However, Northeast of the small town of Remer begins Minnesota's second section, where the NCT goes from trail to route. This is the beginning of The Big Gap, which was created as a side effect of the 2019 Arrowhead Reroute. When created by Congress, the NCT extended from Remer southeast for 75 miles to Duluth. The problem with this route was crossing massive wetlands that would have required perhaps impossibly long boardwalks. Additionally, this bypassed Minnesota's Arrowhead, which, aside from being highly scenic, contained a wealth of preexisting trail. Eventually, in 2019, Congress legislated the adjustment after years of work by the North Country Trail Association (NCTA), the nonprofit that runs the trail.

New trails are being built, but most of the 200 miles between Remer and the beginning of the Boundary Waters are on roads and the paved Mesabi bicycle trail. East of Ely, however, at Snowbank Lake, the Boundary Waters wilderness begins, and the NCT follows 400 miles of continuous footpath, using a network of the Kekekabic, Border Route, and Superior Hiking trails. The Kekekabic and Border Route cross the wilderness and requires a quota-limited permit from the U.S. Forest Service. Still, unlike Boundary Waters canoeing permits, last-minute hiking permits are usually available. The Kekekabic and Border Route arguably make up the most rugged section of the entire NCT. Although they receive regular maintenance from dedicated volunteers, their isolation ensures tougher conditions. Hikers on these sections must contend with thick vegetation, a lack of signs (as per wilderness rules), and, in places, formidable blowdown. In remote northeastern Minnesota, the Border Route merges into the well-worn Superior Hiking Trail, which takes the NCT all the way to Wisconsin. 

Except for Vermont, which has only 75 miles of trail (historically, the NCT ended in New York, but a recent extension connects it to the venerable Appalachian Trail in Vermont), Wisconsin has the shortest section of NCT. 142 of Wisconsin's 200 miles are on completed hiking trail. The state's westernmost 54 miles follow small roads, but 113 miles of trail begin at the infant St. Croix River. The trail traces the swift and pretty St. Croix to the river's source in a primeval white cedar swamp. An ancient portage path bypasses the swamp, which, across an imperceptible divide, is also the headwaters of the north-flowing Bois Brule River. During the last ice age, the two rivers were one, draining a torrent of glacial melt into the Mississippi River. Later, for generations of Native Americans, the portage trail was a thoroughfare between Lake Superior and the Mississippi. Today it's part of the NCT, which follows the famed trout river, the Bois Brule, for nearly 20 miles before veering east into the rich forests of the Chequamegon National Forest. For sixty miles, the trail traverses the national forest. This section highlights the Rainbow Lakes Wilderness, with small scenic lakes and northern hardwood forest interspersed with hemlocks and pines. After a short road walk through the Northwoods town of Mellen, the NCT follows the dramatic Bad River to Copper Falls, before entering the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Michigan is home to 1,150 miles of NCT, the route following the breadth of the Upper Peninsula before crossing the mitten of the lower, from the tip of the middle finger to the base of the palm. 78 percent of Michigan is complete, with a leg-quivering 900 miles of hiking trail. The NCT's western end in the UP is a mix of road walking and trail for 30 miles until reaching the waterfall-rich Black River. Matt Davis, the NCTA trail coordinator for North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, says this is one of his favorite sections in the UP for "its string of cool waterfalls." The trail enters the old-growth forest of Porcupine Mountains State Park and a 200-mile section of almost continuous footpath through Ottawa National Forest. Another of Matt Davis's favorite sections is to the northwest of Marquette, the UP's biggest city, and continues through town. 13 miles of trail follow the beachy shoreline and skirt Little Presque Isle. "It features cool forests right along the edge of Lake Superior," Davis says. He also likes the walkthrough Marquette, where hikers can: "Hike to the beach, get a beer, and learn more about the region's history."

In recent years, backpacking the 40-mile section of NCT east of Munising, through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, has become popular, requiring planning to obtain an overnight permit. The scenic section traverses towering cliffs with waterfalls toppling from their heights into the blue-green waters of Superior. After leaving Pictured Rocks, the trail touches upon two literary landmarks; the first is in the pretty town of Grand Marais. Once home to author Jim Harrison, hikers can visit The Dunes Saloon, which appears in Harrison's novels. Eastward, the trail hugs the sandy Superior shoreline and crosses the Two Hearted River, which was immortalized by Ernest Hemingway's short story "Big Two-Hearted River," published 100 years ago in 1925.

The NCT enters the Lower Peninsula of Michigan on the Mackinac Bridge, and an 80-mile section of nearly continuous trail begins. Kenny Wawsczyk, the NCTA trail coordinator for Michigan, says this section offers "plenty of opportunities for longer distance overnight backpacking." Long spans of trail pick up again heading into Manistee National Forest. Located between Traverse City and Grand Rapids, Wawsczyk recommends backpacking and hiking along the pretty Manistee River. A long day hike or overnight backpacking excursion can be had along a 19-mile loop of the NCT and Manistee River Trail.

The larger population of southern Michigan makes for more road walking, though scattered sections of trail offer varied day hikes. Near Grand Rapids, Wawsczyk likes strolling through Fallasburg Park and Yankee Springs Recreation Area. The NCT's symbolic halfway point in Lowell is home to the NCTA's headquarters and shop in a brick building downtown. East of Kalamazoo, on the bluffs over the Kalamazoo River, the trail, says Wawsczyk, "is unique as it goes through a former training ground," and Fort Custer National Cemetery. 

The NCT's gargantuan journey unfurls, heading into Ohio on a deep southward dive before continuing across America on its way east through Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. Volunteers do most of the trail's ongoing development and maintenance. Anyone interested in getting involved may find their local trail chapter by clicking "Volunteer" through the link: https://northcountrytrail.org. The website has a wealth of information, including free downloadable hiking maps and printed materials for purchase.