North Country Trail

My North Country Trail Hike

I hope to hike the North Country Trail before I'm too old. We'll see.

North Country Trail Statistics

States	North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohip, Pennsylvania, New York
Distance	4600 miles - much of the trail is not yet complete and trail reroutes happen so this is an estimate of the trail length. When I complete the trail, I'll let you know how many steps it took me since I'll wear a pedometer the distance.
Total Elevation	unknown since the trail is not complete
Terminus	West: Lake Sakakawea State Park in ND East: Crown Point State Park in NY
Highest Point
Lowest Point
Map	Click for Large Map
Terrain	Most of the trail traverses northeastern forest with very little elevation. The western portion opens up to the great plains. The trail is well-used in few sections, with about 40% of it still unrouted which requires road walking.
History	designated as a National Scenic Trail in 1980.
Challenges	Humidity, heat, and insects during the summer months. Completing before winter.
Time Window	As early as you can handle the snow and cold. February or March. A flip-flop hike starting around Cincinnati heading east starts and ends at the most southern part of the trail, hopefully resulting in milder weather early and late in the hike. Otherwise, an eastbound hike tends to have wind at your back most of the time.
Time to Hike	There is no typical time since so few have attempted it and so much of the trail is incomplete. But, 4600 miles at about 20mpd would require 7 to 9 months.
Permits
Thru-hiker Tally	less than 10, no award or recognition for thru-hiking or section hiking. Ed Talone (1994), Andrew Skurka (2005), Eb Eberhard (2009) are three known thru-hikes, Ed Talone being recognized as the first.
Trail Links
Full Maps	NPS map
Agencies	North Country Trail Association