The North Country National Scenic Trail In Minnesota Is Now A National Park Service Unit
By Trent Jonas|Published January 01, 2024
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Trent Jonas
Author
Trent Jonas came to Minnesota to attend college - and never left. He's a Twin Cities-based writer with a BA in English and a MFA in creative writing, a Minnesota Master Naturalist, and the proud father of two adult children. With more than a decade of freelance writing experience under his belt, Trent is often out exploring his favorite topics: Minnesota's woods, lakes, and trails. Rhubarb pie is his weakness, so discovering new diners is also a passion.
The North Country National Scenic Trail passes through Minnesota, from the Wisconsin border to the North Dakota border, connecting several other trails along the way. In December 2023, the North Country Trail in Minnesota – along with the other seven states it traverses – became a unit of the National Park Services. This should mean some changes for this longest of the national scenic trails – for the better.
The remainder of the NCT in Minnesota is a combination of road walks and trails through the Chippewa National Forest, several state forests, Itasca State Park, Detroit Lakes, and Fergus Falls. The NCT crosses into North Dakota at Fort Abercrombie State Park, west of Kent, Minnesota.
The new NPS designation should help to connect the trail, as well as add more trailheads, campsites, and other infrastructure in Minnesota and elsewhere. If you’re interested in learning more, you can pick up a guide to the North Country National Scenic Trail’s Minnesota section – Guide to Hiking the North Country Trail in Minnesota: Across Prairies, the North Woods, and the Wilderness – from Bookshop.org. Have you hiked any segments – or all – of the NCT in Minnesota? Tell us about it in the comments!
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