North Country National Scenic Trail

About the route

The North Country National Scenic Trail runs from the Appalachian Trail in Vermont to the vicinity of Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota, across eight states: Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. North Dakota Parks and Recreation names Lake Sakakawea State Park as the western terminus. Federal law and the National Park Service, which administers the trail, put the length at about 4,600 miles when complete. The North Country Trail Association, its partner, says nearly 5,000 miles. The route and length have changed since 1980 and still do. The association welcomes end-to-end hikes but takes no role in overseeing them or in claims about them. Two changes shaped today's route. In Minnesota, the Arrowhead Reroute moves the trail off a swamp stretch where no trail has been built. About 70 percent of the new route is the Superior Hiking Trail, the Border Route Trail and the Kekekabic Trail, which together make a continuous 400 miles. For now the Mesabi Trail is the temporary route between Coleraine and Ely. In Vermont, the trail now continues past its old New York end. From the Crown Point Bridge it follows roads and the Trail Around Middlebury network, then the Sucker Brook Trail, then the Long Trail south to Maine Junction, the eastern terminus. The Green Mountain Club says the Long Trail carries 23 miles of the North Country Trail, and that the newly extended Vermont portion has navigational challenges. Much of the trail shares tread with other trails. In New York it shares about 400 miles with the Finger Lakes Trail. In Ohio it shares most of its route with the Buckeye Trail, which the Buckeye Trail Association looks after. In the Adirondack Park the association says the route is mostly undeveloped and needs special planning. Permit rules change with the land manager, and camping fees and registration vary by section. The Park Service says each landowner or land manager sets the camping rules: most national and state forests allow dispersed camping along the trail with proper distance from the trail and from water, some areas require designated campsites or campgrounds, and you should not camp on private property unless invited. Contact the land managers while you plan. The Park Service charges nothing to hike the trail, but parking, camping or entrance fees may apply on some sections. It names two backcountry permit requirements for overnight hikers: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, and the Kekekabic and Border Route Trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. Pictured Rocks has no drop-in camping; sites are reserved on Recreation.gov. In the Boundary Waters, wilderness permits are required year-round. The Forest Service has set aside two thru-hike entry points, number 90 on the east and number 91 on the west, and offers early issuance of overnight hiking permits to North Country Trail thru-hikers; text the reservation number at least two weeks ahead for approval, or call. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park also requires backcountry camping permits. On the Superior Hiking Trail no permit or reservation is needed, but dispersed camping is strictly prohibited: use its 94 campsites, which must be shared. There are no trail campsites inside Duluth, and campfires are prohibited within city limits. In the Manistee National Forest you may camp without a permit unless posted, but not within 200 feet of water except at designated sites. In New York, camping in state parks and in Adirondack campgrounds needs registration. Overnight camping is prohibited on Pennsylvania state game lands. In the Allegheny National Forest, which the trail crosses for 96.3 miles, you may not camp on the shores of the Allegheny Reservoir or within 1,500 feet of its timberline except in designated areas; there is an Adirondack shelter at Amsler Springs. In North Dakota, camping and fires are prohibited on Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, where the trail runs 13 miles along the south side of Lake Audubon to the McClusky Canal headgate. From there the trail follows the McClusky Canal for more than 70 miles. The trail is mostly footpath, but some segments are on roads, and the association says it is working to change that. Hikers are expected to follow off-road trail where it exists. The trail is marked with blue blazes, but on the shared trail in New York the blazes are white, and in federal Wilderness blazes are not allowed. The association says signs alone cannot be relied on across the whole trail, so carry a map. Its maps are free and updated twice a year; it can no longer update the copies in the Avenza Map Store. The Border Route Trail is 53 miles long and is part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The association calls the Kekekabic and Border Route Trails very remote, and it says the Kek is the most remote hiking on the whole trail and that hikers often find parts of it in rough shape. The Border Route Trail Association says there are no trail markings inside the Boundary Waters apart from occasional signs at spurs, the trail can be heavily overgrown, land navigation skills are necessary, and you should expect no cell service. The Forest Service says to bring a map and compass as backup to GPS and to be ready for every kind of weather. Some crossings have no bridge. In Michigan's Ontonagon County, the river crossing below the Victoria Dam can become impassable when water is released; the high-water bypass on Victoria Dam Road and US-45 is three miles longer and passes through Rockland. In Pennsylvania, Johnnycake and Tracy Run in the Allegheny National Forest and Deer Creek on State Game Lands 63 have no structures and can be dangerous at high water. On the Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota, expect grazing sheep and guard dogs from May 1 to October 1. Law enforcement along the trail is the county sheriff and other local agencies. The Park Service lists ticks, poisonous plants, wildlife and hunting, which is prevalent in many areas, as the safety issues to prepare for, and advises leaving your plan with someone. Pictured Rocks calls itself bear country and warns that biting insects are very common in summer. The association also warns that end-to-end hikers can meet barriers that make the trail impassible or temporarily unsafe. The association's maps show water sources, and some are seasonal. The Park Service says to filter or treat water found along the trail; in towns, parks and public facilities have potable water, and in rural areas you should check the trail maps. In the Allegheny National Forest, the Forest Service's trail page lists potable water at Willow Bay, Tracy Ridge, Handsome Lake, Hopewell Campground, Red Bridge, Kiasutha and Hearts Content, but the Handsome Lake and Hopewell campground pages say to bring your own water, and Tracy Ridge has potable water only in Loop E from May to October. On the Border Route Trail, boil or filter your water. On the Superior Hiking Trail most campsites, but not all, are near a natural water source that must be treated. For food, Pictured Rocks requires anything with a scent to go in a hard-sided vehicle or a park bear box. In the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, bear-safe food storage is mandatory, and the Green Mountain Club recommends a bear canister. For resupply, the association names official Trail Towns that provide services to trail users. They include Lisbon and Abercrombie in North Dakota; Fergus Falls, Frazee, Walker, Cohasset and Grand Rapids, and Ely in Minnesota; Solon Springs and Mellen in Wisconsin; Marquette, Grand Marais, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, Petoskey, Kalkaska, Lowell and Battle Creek in Michigan; Dayton, Zoar and Lisbon in Ohio; Darlington, Wampum and Parker in Pennsylvania; and Canastota and North Creek in New York. The Buckeye Trail Association names more Trail Towns along the shared Ohio route. On the Superior Hiking Trail, post offices are in small towns off the trail, and any business you mail a package to has to agree first. For shuttles, the association points hikers to its Trail Alerts page and to the local Chapter or Affiliate for each segment. On the Superior Hiking Trail, shuttles can be fully booked in late summer and early fall, and there is no regular transport at either end. The Mackinac Bridge can be crossed on foot only during the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. Any other day, pedestrians must cross in a vehicle: the Mackinac Bridge Authority runs a transport service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and riders sign a liability waiver and must be 18 or older. From the north side, ask for it inside the Bridge Authority's administration building. For the Kekekabic Trail, the association's Kekekabic Trail Chapter page lists Julie's Shuttle Service. Check the North Country Trail Association's Trail Alerts page before each outing. It posts closures and reroutes, and its online map carries the same alerts. For the Superior Hiking Trail and the Border Route Trail, use the trail associations' own conditions pages. The Superior National Forest posts Boundary Waters alerts.

Permits

Permits depend on the land manager along each section, and camping fees and registration vary. The National Park Service names two backcountry permit requirements for overnight camping: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, where sites are reserved on Recreation.gov and there is no drop-in camping, and the Kekekabic and Border Route Trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, where the Superior National Forest sets aside thru-hike entry points 90 and 91. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park also requires backcountry camping permits. In New York, camping in state parks and Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack campgrounds needs registration. Camping and fires are prohibited on Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. On the Superior Hiking Trail, camp only at its designated campsites.

• Permit information and applications↗ (opens in new tab)
• Pictured Rocks backcountry camping reservations (Recreation.gov)↗ (opens in new tab)National Park Service
• Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits (Recreation.gov)↗ (opens in new tab)USDA Forest Service
• Border Route Trail permits and thru-hike entry points↗ (opens in new tab)USDA Forest Service
• North Country Trail Association↗ (opens in new tab)

Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current application windows and requirements with the issuing agency.

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