{"id":36889,"date":"2018-08-03T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=36889"},"modified":"2018-08-06T12:39:33","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T19:39:33","slug":"north-country-trail-nct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/north-country-trail-nct","title":{"rendered":"North Country Trail (NCT)"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tick off seven states along the North Country Trail<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the longest continuous trail in the National Trails System. At 4,600 miles in length, there is plenty to discover.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Distance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 4,600 miles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,\u00a0Michigan, Wisconsin,\u00a0Minnesota, North Dakota and Vermont (coming soon!)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Year Established<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1980<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Times of Year to Visit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Year-round<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36890\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36890\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/40193358222_2711fed3d2_k.jpg?resize=1024%2C768\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36890\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of the North Country Trail Association.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Notable Spots Along Trail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Michigan\u2019s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the trail follows sculpted cliffs offering scenic views of Lake Superior.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio features towering cliffs, cool sandstone caves and mighty waterfalls, plus vibrant wildflowers in spring and foliage in fall.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the first areas to be designated as federal wilderness, in 1975, the beautiful Rainbow Lakes Wilderness in Wisconsin still provides a remote wildlands experience, with 6,583 acres of forest and lakes to explore.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are lucky, you&#8217;ll hear gray wolves howling at night in the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge\u2014one of only two national wildlife refuges along the route.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Fun Facts, According to the North Country Trail Association:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The trail includes Michigan\u2019s 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. These miles can only be walked one day each year as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mackinacbridge.org\/walk\/\">Mackinac Bridge Walk<\/a> on Labor Day, when one side of the bridge is closed for pedestrians.<\/li>\n<li>Only 16 people are known to have walked the NCT\u2019s entire length in its history.<\/li>\n<li>The route incorporates several other beloved trail systems like the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.buckeyetrail.org\/\">Buckeye<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fingerlakestrail.org\/\">Finger Lakes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/superiorhiking.org\/\">Superior Hiking<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.borderroutetrail.org\/\"> Border Route<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/northcountrytrail.org\/volunteers\/local-contacts\/kekekabic-trail-chapter\/\">Kekekabic<\/a> trails.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_36891\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36891\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-36891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/39601147231_79464f1238_k.jpg?resize=1024%2C576\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-36891\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of the North Country Trail Association.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Trail Uses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Hiking, backpacking and other foot travel is allowed its entire length. Other non-motorized uses, such as bicycling and horseback riding, are generally limited to designated areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Administering Agency: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/noco\/index.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Park Service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Nonprofit Partner: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/northcountrytrail.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North Country Trail Association<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Permitting Information:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Permits vary among local, state and federal land management agencies. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/noco\/planyourvisit\/permits-and-reervations.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>REI Stewardship: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The co-op has invested more than \u00a0$109,000 in the NCT since 2006.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read More: <\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/ten-thru-hikes-that-arent-the-pacific-crest-trail-or-appalachian-trail\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ten Thru-Hikes That Aren\u2019t the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/thru-hiking-goal-training.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Train for Thru-Hiking<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/how-to-prevent-condensation-in-a-tent\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Prevent Condensation in a Tent<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/an-ode-to-the-gear-that-lasts\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Ode to the Gear That Lasts<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/national-scenic-trails\">Learn more<\/a>\u00a0about all of our national scenic trails.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tick off seven states along the North Country Trail\u2014the longest continuous trail in the National Trails System. At 4,600 miles in length, there is plenty to discover. Distance: 4,600 miles States: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,\u00a0Michigan, Wisconsin,\u00a0Minnesota, North Dakota and Vermont (coming soon!) Year Established: 1980 Best Times of Year to Visit: Year-round Notable Spots Along [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[1056,1591,1528,656],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-36889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-midwest","tag-national-scenic-trails","tag-northeast","tag-public-lands"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/north-country-trail-nct","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"North Country Trail (NCT)","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/north-country-trail-nct","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/north-country-trail-nct"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/40152135231_726b969d88_k.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/40152135231_726b969d88_k.jpg?fit=2048%2C1152"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["midwest","national scenic trails","northeast","public lands"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-03T14:00:56Z","datePublished":"2018-08-03T14:00:56Z","dateModified":"2018-08-06T19:39:33Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"North Country Trail (NCT)\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/north-country-trail-nct\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/hike\\\/north-country-trail-nct\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/40152135231_726b969d88_k.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/40152135231_726b969d88_k.jpg?fit=2048%2C1152\"},\"articleSection\":\"Hike\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"}],\"creator\":[\"Aer Parris-Hoshour\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"midwest\",\"national scenic trails\",\"northeast\",\"public lands\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:56Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-03T14:00:56Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-08-06T19:39:33Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/40152135231_726b969d88_k.jpg?fit=2048%2C1152","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36889"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37214,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36889\/revisions\/37214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36889"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=36889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}