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North Country Trail
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 4,800 miles (7,700 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 miles (499 km) of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, about 900 miles (1,400 km) of the Buckeye Trail in Ohio, and about 430 miles (690 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 miles (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-long (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 miles (1,399 km) in Minnesota; this includes 310 miles (499 km) in conjunction with the Superior Hiking Trail. Much of the hike in the western part of the state is on rural roads, with an extended sojourn through Fergus Falls. After that city, the NCT visits many small lakes and passes through Maplewood State Park. Northeast of Frazee, the trail spends more than 160 miles (257 km) in a succession of mostly contiguous public lands that include a variety of state and federal parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
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North Country Trail
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 4,800 miles (7,700 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 miles (499 km) of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, about 900 miles (1,400 km) of the Buckeye Trail in Ohio, and about 430 miles (690 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 miles (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-long (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 miles (1,399 km) in Minnesota; this includes 310 miles (499 km) in conjunction with the Superior Hiking Trail. Much of the hike in the western part of the state is on rural roads, with an extended sojourn through Fergus Falls. After that city, the NCT visits many small lakes and passes through Maplewood State Park. Northeast of Frazee, the trail spends more than 160 miles (257 km) in a succession of mostly contiguous public lands that include a variety of state and federal parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.