North Country Trail Association

North Country Trail Association Nonprofit partner of the National Park Service in building, maintaining, protecting, and promoting the longest National Scenic Trail in America.

Please join us in welcoming Kate Hagner, the North Country Trail Association’s new Executive Director. Mid-June, she wil...
05/30/2026

Please join us in welcoming Kate Hagner, the North Country Trail Association’s new Executive Director. Mid-June, she will begin leading the Association from her home in Vermont. She comes to the NCTA from nearly 20 years of service with the Student Conservation Association.

“I’ve lived in Minnesota, upstate New York, and now Vermont – places all connected to the geography of this trail,” said Kate. “Meaningful outdoor experiences do not need to happen only in iconic destinations. I love that the North Country Trail is close to where so many people already live and work. Because of the NCTA, [the trail] is a thread connecting people, place, and time. As Executive Director, I will work to strengthen that thread – to protect it, expand it, and invite more people to see themselves as part of it.”

Registration for The Buckeye Trail Association's annual TrailFest event will be live by June 6 at buckeyetrail.org/trail...
05/30/2026

Registration for The Buckeye Trail Association's annual TrailFest event will be live by June 6 at buckeyetrail.org/trailfest.

The event itself will take place from September 10-13 at Salt Fork State Park and Lodge in Eastern Ohio. The NCTA will be there, as will the Ohio Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA). Come hike with us and learn more about both the Buckeye Trail and the North Country National Scenic Trail!

📸 Amelia Rhodes | Baileys Trail System

This June, the NCTA Kekekabic Trail Chapter is starting construction of a long-awaited 14-mile trail building project in...
05/27/2026

This June, the NCTA Kekekabic Trail Chapter is starting construction of a long-awaited 14-mile trail building project in Minnesota's Superior National Forest🌲 You're invited to help be part of this significant progress! The Chapter is hosting multiple workdays throughout the summer and fall to get the corridor cleared ⚒ No experience needed. If interested, please email [email protected] for details!

📸 Matt Davis | Kekekabic Trail hikers U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest

This spring, representatives from the Seneca Nation, Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Foothills Trail Club, and the NCTA j...
05/26/2026

This spring, representatives from the Seneca Nation, Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Foothills Trail Club, and the NCTA joined forces to scout a proposed reroute to eliminate approximately 2 miles of roadwalk. This (off-road) segment winds nearly 3 miles along the shared NCT / Finger Lakes Trail just north of New York's Allegany State Park. Please join us in extending thanks to these organizations for their strong and willing partnership. Without them, improving the trail user experience like this wouldn't be possible!

📸 Will Brazill

Kevin Russell, board member from Vermont, represented the NCTA at the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council's annual meet...
05/23/2026

Kevin Russell, board member from Vermont, represented the NCTA at the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council's annual meeting earlier this month. The meeting brought together trail managers, advocates, and partner organizations from across the state to network, share resources, discuss statewide trail initiatives, and help shape the council's strategic priorities and advocacy work for the future. Partnerships like this - and participation in events like this - are critical in helping keep the North Country Trail a priority for legislators, agencies, trail users, and beyond.

📸 VTGC

Our friends at Trust for Public Land (TPL) teamed up with our National Park Service partners this spring to permanently...
05/22/2026

Our friends at Trust for Public Land (TPL) teamed up with our National Park Service partners this spring to permanently protect more than 200 acres of land along Lake Superior and the Montreal River in Eastern Wisconsin. Most importantly, this project provides a new off-road connection for the North Country Trail, providing you with a much better experience. Please join us in extending many thanks to TPL, NPS, and many others - including Iron County Forest staff - for achieving this milestone built on decades of conservation work.

📸 ©Sara Rubinstein, courtesy of Trust for Public

Earlier this spring, 6 women met to build a trail reroute to a new bridge site on the shared North Country Trail / Bucke...
05/20/2026

Earlier this spring, 6 women met to build a trail reroute to a new bridge site on the shared North Country Trail / Buckeye Trail near New Staitsville, Ohio. They finished 175 yards of trail in 4 hours ⚒

"The migratory warblers had returned and apparently they love a flood plain!" mused volunteer leader Ann Furste.

Find an opportunity to get involved in trail work like this at northcountrytrail.org/events.

📸 Ann Furste | The Buckeye Trail Association

The Superior Hiking Trail Association is 40 this year! They're celebrating in a variety of ways, including an epic trail...
05/17/2026

The Superior Hiking Trail Association is 40 this year! They're celebrating in a variety of ways, including an epic trail-wide hike on June 6. Join the collective effort to hike the trail's 300 miles in a single day. Whatever mileage you bag will also count toward our Hike 100 Challenge, as the S*T shares its route with the North Country Trail. Learn more and register at superiorhiking.org, and join us in wishing our friends a happy birthday 🎉

📸 Maggie Ferguson

The NCTA Central New York Chapter coordinated with a Cazenovia hotel to make access to both the North Country Trail and ...
05/15/2026

The NCTA Central New York Chapter coordinated with a Cazenovia hotel to make access to both the North Country Trail and Stone Quarry Art Park easier for hotel guests. The spur trail is only 230 feet to the NCT connection, but a small creek crossing rendered a bridge necessary.

From the NCT, access to the park is now a pleasant 1.1-mile hike. Spur trails like this help protect the main trail by providing a designated route, preventing the creation of informal paths. This one also opens up a convenient connection to the park, providing guests an easy walk to one of the area's key destinations.

📸 Will Brazill | Central New York Chapter North Country Trail Association Stone Quarry Hill Art Park

Michiganders! Approval is still pending for critical Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) projects that are inc...
05/15/2026

Michiganders! Approval is still pending for critical Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) projects that are included in Senate Bill 829. The bill includes funds for 75 projects statewide - projects that have already been reviewed, recommended, and approved through the established process, but final legislative appropriation is still needed. Every delay puts them at risk.

The MNRTF has directly benefited the North Country Trail in many ways over the years, from bridges to trail improvements to supporting our local partners. Our friends at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are currently waiting on the funds to move forward with a major land acquisition project involving former railroad right-of-ways south of Lowell, which will allow nearly 6 miles of NCT to be moved off-road. (It's currently a 13-mile roadwalk!) There are also a number of bridge improvements on the NCT that will be made possible by this Trust Fund.

Please take a moment today to contact your state representative and members of the House Appropriations Committee, and encourage them to support Senate Bill 829!

📸 Kate Lemon

Address

229 E. Main Street
Lowell, MI
49331

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+18664453628

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