North Country Trail

Route overview

A multi-stage route through Northern United States, with highlights including Great Lakes, forests, farmland, northern trail towns.

North Country Trail gives hikers a structured way to experience Northern United States over several days. The route is best approached as a staged hike, with planning attention on permits, accommodation, weather, navigation and daily distance. For BuddieHikes, it is a strong candidate because the trail is long enough or remote enough to benefit from a hiking partner, while still being understandable as a clear route objective.

North Country Trail is a 7700 km hiking route through Northern United States, suited to hikers who want large-scale forest, lake and rural thru-hiking terrain and a clear multi-day objective.

Trail facts

Country

United States

Region

Northern United States

Distance

7700 km

Typical duration

6–9 months

Difficulty

Hard

Elevation gain

Not specified

Best season

May to October

Trail type

National Scenic Trail

Access and logistics

Permits and access

Check current permit, quota, park-entry or guided-access rules with the official source before planning this route.

Bookings

Book accommodation, huts, campsites or required permits ahead in peak season.

Safety context

Long distances between services, navigation demands, wildlife considerations and weather exposure make conservative planning important.

Highlights

Great Lakes, forests, farmland, northern trail towns

Why find a buddy

This route is well suited to finding a hiking buddy because the distance, logistics and multi-day structure are easier and safer to manage with someone who has a similar pace and planning style.

Primary source

Open the primary route source.

Explore and prepare

Discover hikes by intent, read the hiking guides, review hiking safety, prepare a BuddyPack, or browse hiking plans.