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Long distance hiking trail in the US

The North Country Trail (NCT, officially designated the North Country National Scenic Trail) is a long distance hiking trail in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The trail extends roughly 4800 mile (7725 km) from Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota to the Appalachian Trail in Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, passing through eight states along its route. As of 2023, most of the trail is in place, though about one third of the distance consists of road walking; those segments are frequently evaluated for transfer to off road segments on nearby public or private lands. The trail was designated a National Scenic Trail by the United States Congress in 1980, and became an official unit of the National Park System in 2023. The NCT is administered by the National Park Service, managed by federal, state, and local agencies, and built and maintained primarily by volunteers coordinated by the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) and affiliated local organizations. The North Country Trail is generally limited to hiking, and some areas can support snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Some particular segments allow additional non motorized uses such as bicycling and horseback riding, but only in areas specifically designed and permitted to withstand such use. The distance of the NCT is estimated and often changes, as volunteers develop new footpath segments and other options to reduce road walking.

The North Country Trail was proposed on March 5, 1980 via an amendment to the National Trails System Act. That year, a route was established that incorporated many preexisting trails along with plans for building new connecting segments or finding walkable routes on rural roads. In cooperation with local and state hiking organizations, the route of the NCT was superimposed on all 310 mile (499 km) of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, about 900 mile (1448 km) of the Buckeye Trail in Ohio, and about 430 mile (692 km) of the Finger Lakes Trail in New York State. The NCT route also incorporated portions of many other shorter hiking trails and rail trails. In most such cases, the hiker follows signs denoting both the North Country Trail and the original trail. Planning and construction of additional off road segments continues to the present day. The original proposed route of the NCT was from central North Dakota to northeastern New York State; a long held goal to extend the eastern end of the route to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont commenced in 2017. That extension was approved by Congress in 2019 as part of the omnibus John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, and the extension was completed in 2021. In 2023, the National Park Service recognized the trail as a unit of the National Park System.

The route of the North Country Trail is described here from west to east. Along its total distance, the NCT traverses more than 150 public land units, including parks, forests, scenic attractions, wildlife refuges, game areas, and historic sites. Included at the federal level are ten National Forests. four units of the National Park system, and two National Wildlife Refuges. The trail also visits dozens of state parks, forests, gamelands, and historic areas, and several local/county forests and parks.

The North Country Trail spends about 453 mile (729 km) in North Dakota. The trail begins at Lake Sakakawea State Park in Mercer County and heads generally to the east, soon reaching Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. It walks alongside most of the 73 mile (117 km) McClusky Canal and traverses Lone Tree Wildlife Management Area (North Dakota's largest). The trail traverses Sheyenne Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Ransom State Park, and Sheyenne National Grassland. Near Abercrombie, the NCT uses a state highway to cross the Red River into Minnesota.

The North Country Trail spends about 869 mile (1399 km) in Minnesota; this includes 310 mile (499 km) in conjunction with the Superior Hiking Trail. Northeast of Frazee, the trail spends more than 160 mile (257 km) in a succession of mostly contiguous public lands that include a variety of state and federal parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. The NCT enjoys a lengthy walk through Grand Rapids, and also visits Hibbing and Virginia in the northeastern part of the state, with a visit to Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park. The trail later continues on extensive wilderness footpaths for about 100 mile (161 km) in Superior National Forest and various tracts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, just south of the Canadian border, until reaching a junction with the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). The wilderness footpaths continue through Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest, including sojourns through Rainbow Lake Wilderness and Porcupine Lake Wilderness. Near the Michigan border, the NCT briefly encounters the shore of Lake Superior at Saxon Harbor County Park, then joins a rural road to a remote crossing of the Montreal River at the state line.

The North Country Trail spends about 1176 mile (1893 km) in Michigan, and traverses both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. After crossing the Montreal River out of Wisconsin, the NCT reaches Ottawa National Forest and continues on a lengthy hike along the Black River. The trail briefly encounters Lake Superior at Black River Harbor Recreation Area, then returns to the lake near Manabeznho Falls. The trail turns inland through remote national forest lands for more than 150 mile (241 km), passing Lake of the Clouds. After leaving the national forest, the NCT continues through various locally protected forest areas and walks through the large and remote Craig Lake State Park. The NCT walks through Marquette for a considerable distance then reaches Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park. It then hikes about 23 mile (37 km) through Hiawatha National Forest, walks through Munising, and then follows the shore of Lake Superior for more than 30 mile (48 km) through Pictured Rocks National Seashore. The trail then passes through Grand Marais and walks alongside Lake Superior for about another 20 mile (32 km) through local forest districts. The NCT reaches the large and remote Tahquamenon Falls State Park, and then heads into another segment of Hiawatha National Forest and some more waking along the lakeshore. The NCT is in the national forest for more than 80 mile (129 km), heading south to a near encounter with Lake Michigan and a long walk along Brevoort Lake. The trail walks though St. Ignace and then Straits State Park. The hiker then climbs onto the Mackinac Bridge (I 75) for the 5 mile (8 km) crossing of the Straits of Mackinac to Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This crossing for pedestrians and hikers is only permitted during special "bridge walk" events. After the bridge, the NCT walks through Mackinaw City and continues through Wilderness State Park and various locally protected forest districts. The trail encounters Lake Michigan at Petoskey State Park and then walks through the city of Petoskey. The trail continues south through more protected forests and walks through Kalkaska. The NCT next begins a sojourn of about 130 mile (209 km) through the Manistee sector of the Huron Manistee National Forests and reaches the town of Cedar Springs, where it joins the White Pine Trail for about 8 mile (13 km) to Rockford. The trail then walks through Lowell and Middleville, where it joins the Paul Henry Trail for about 3 mile (5 km). The NCT continues through Yankee Springs State Recreation Area, followed by Augusta and Fort Custer State Recreation Area, and then heads east through the city of Battle Creek, where it follows parklands along the Kalamazoo River for more than 5 mile (8 km).

The North Country Trail spends about 1076 mile (1732 km) in Ohio, and about 90% of that distance is via the preexisting Buckeye Trail, which forms a large loop throughout the state. After entering Ohio, the NCT passes through Albion and West Unity, then temporarily joins multiple segments of the Wabash Cannonball Trail through Wauseon, Whitehouse, and Waterville. At the latter town, the NCT joins the route of the Buckeye Trail, and the two trails share the same path for more than 900 mile (1448 km) ahead. In this area, the combined trail loosely follows the Maumee River and passes through Napoleon and Defiance. The trail continues to the south to Delphos, where it joins the Miami Erie Canal Walkway to Spencerville in Allen County. Still heading south, the trail walks through St. Marys, follows a long stretch of the former Miami and Erie Canal, and passes through Lake Loramie State Park. The trail walks through Piqua and then follows parklands alongside the Great Miami River, with walks through several small towns. The hiker then proceeds through extensive urban areas in Dayton, the biggest city to be found on the North Country Trail. The trail then walks through Yellow Springs and Xenia, after which it joins the paved Little Miami Scenic Trail for several dozen miles into the northeastern suburbs of the Cincinnati metro area. At Milford, the NCT switches to suburban streets and rural roads though various undeveloped districts, reaching East Fork State Park. Now heading east through southern Ohio, the trail follows a variety of rural roads interspersed with extended hikes through Shawnee State Park, two sectors of Wayne National Forest, and Wolf Run State Park.

The North Country Trail spends about 284 mile (457 km) in Pennsylvania. After exiting Ohio, the NCT follows footpaths through state game lands and then walks through Darlington and Wampum. Next is McConnells Mill State Park, where the NCT joins the preexisting Slippery Rock Gorge Trail, followed by Moraine State Park, where it joins the preexisting Glacier Ridge Trail for about the next 15 mile (24 km) to Jennings Environmental Education Center. Following rural roads, the NCT next walks through Parker and then joins the Allegheny River Trail to follow that river to the north for about the next 28 mile (45 km), traversing Foxburg, Emlenton, and three former railroad tunnels. The NCT then switches to an intersecting rail trail, the Sandy Creek Trail, followed by the Clarion Highlands Trail. After hiking through some more state game lands, the trail reaches Clear Creek State Forest where extended footpaths loosely follow the Clarion River. The NCT continues north through Cook Forest State Park, followed by additional state forest and game land districts. The trail crosses into Allegheny National Forest, through which it will hike for about the next about the next 99 mile (159 km). Along the way, it briefly follows the same path as the popular Minister Creek Trail, and crosses the southeastern arm of the Allegheny Reservoir on a road bridge at Red Bridge Recreation Area. The NCT then reaches the New York border and continues as a footpath into Allegany State Park. North of the state park, the trail utilizes a combination of rural roads and footpaths through undeveloped areas in southwestern New York, and uses a drainage tunnel under I 86 near Almond Lake. The NCT continues in like fashion into the region south of the Finger Lakes, with a walk through downtown Watkins Glen and around the southern end of Seneca Lake. The trail continues through numerous state forest and wildlife management districts in the region south of Ithaca. The NCT spends about the next 158 mile (254 km) in Adirondack Park, largely via wilderness footpaths in the western districts of the park and then remote forest roads in the eastern districts. In this region, the North Country Trail Association plans to build footpaths through nearby wilderness areas. The NCT reaches the shore of Lake Champlain and then walks through Crown Point State Historic Park. The trail joins NY 185 for a half mile long bridge over the lake and into Vermont.

The North Country Trail spends about 69 mile (111 km) miles in Vermont. After the bridge over Lake Champlain, the NCT briefly follows VT 17 and VT 125 through Chimney Point State Park and two wildlife management areas. The trail uses a series of rural roads to the east, walking through Middlebury and East Middlebury. The trail then enters Mooselamoo National Recreation Area and Green Mountain National Forest, following wilderness footpaths to the south and southeast. In the national forest, the NCT joins the preexisting Long Trail and the two trails follow the same path for the next 23 miles. At Blue Ridge Mountain in eastern Rutland County, the North Country Trail ends at the Maine Junction intersection with the Appalachian Trail.