The ('''NCNST'''), which one-day will stretch more than 4,600 miles from
Crown Point in eastern
New York to
Lake Sakakawea in western
North Dakota , is the longest of the eight
National Scenic Trail s authorized by
Congress . Like its sister trails – the
Appalachian ,
Continental Divide ,
Florida ,
Ice Age ,
Natchez Trace ,
Pacific Crest and
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trails – it was designed to provide peaceful recreational opportunities in some of America's outstanding landscapes.
The NCNST is administered by the
National Park Service , 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.
Passing through the seven states of
New York ,
Pennsylvania ,
Ohio ,
Michigan ,
Wisconsin ,
Minnesota and
North Dakota , the NCNST 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 ( Finger Lakes in New York, Allegheny in Pennsylvania, Wayne in Ohio, Hiawatha , Manistee , and Ottawa in Michigan, Chequamegon in Wisconsin, Superior and Chippewa in Minnesota and Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota)
- Four areas of the National Park Service (Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore , Wisconsin's St. Croix National Scenic Riverway , New York's Fort Stanwix National Monument , and Ohio's Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park )
Other federal facilities along the NCNST include:
The NCNST 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.
Existing and new sections of the NCNST are generally limited to foot travel, including
Hiking ,
Snowshoeing and
Cross-country Skiing . Other non-motorized uses, such as
Bicycling and
Horseback Riding are generally limited to areas specifically designed to withstand such use.
About 10,000 of our fellow citizens in one way or another are involved with the NCNST, 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 .
The 28 chapters of the NCTA and its 3,200+ members and each affiliate organization have assumed responsibility for trail construction and maintenance of a specific section of the NCNST.
When the Trail was established in 1980, portions of it were designed to follow the already existing
Finger Lakes (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 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 , and the
Kekekabic and
Border Route Trail s along the
Canadian Border .
